Evangelion AF
by ZeroAcception
Summary: Asuka and Mana have arrived in Russia, where Shinji was last known to be. There, they are shocked to be joined with another pilot and Eva, the two had never heard of. And Toji learns the truth about his Eva, and the fate of his mother.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Eva. Never have and never will. Most of the characters don't belong to me either. I might make one or two up, maybe even more, but you guys out there know who belongs to who. So, on with the story.

Enjoy.

Chapter01

The day's test was complete. The hatch to the Entry Plug hissed as it opened to release the pilot from the Throne of Souls. The pilot, a young man of 14 stood up and climbed out as the plug was lifted from its incertion point and over to the steel catwalk to its side. He leapt out, landing on the walk and slowly made his way down the steps to the lower walk just in front of the bio-michanical weapon he piloted. Bending over a small red bucket, he threw up the orange liqued he used to breath with while inside. The LCL poured from his lungs and into the bucket, leaving him coughing for a second. Taking in a deep long breath of fresh air, he sighed in relief that the tests were finally over. Shaking his head free of loose LCL that soaked his body and black hair, he turned and stared up at the black plated face and its two lifeless white eyes which stared back at him. With a snort and a glare, the boy turned away with a determined walk with no purpose but to show his disgust and hatred towards the beast he controled. Waiting for him at the end of the walk was a woman dressed in a black skirt and blue button dress shirt, stockings with high heels and a lab coat. She had blonde hair and ocean blue eyes that the boy thought he could easily see himself lost in if he stared too long. Seeing her made both his artificail left arm and right leg twitch, but he kept his step and stopped just in front of her, his eyes downcast to the floor. "Dr. Akagi," he said in a rough voice.

Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, head of the E-Project, former lover of Commander Gendo Ikari, and head of the First Division in Department of Technology and Development of Nerv Headquarters stared at the broken and rebuilt boy of a failed experiment which they not too long ago fixed. She stared up from the young man and up at his 'beast', Unit-03. Her eyes narrowed as she recalled the Commander's orders to have Unit-03 rebuilt for future emergency uses. Same was said about the Fourth Child that stood before her, in those exact words. "You did well, Toji Suzahara. Your syncro with Eva Unit-03 has increased by four percent." She watched his left arm twitch as she finished. "Is there a problem with the prostetic arm, Toji?"

With his real hand, Toji reach over and gripped the artificail arm that was given to him, giving it a small squeeze. "No ma'am." He continued to look away from her as he stared at the floor. "Is there anything else, doctor?" He asked.

Ritsuko couldn't blame the boy. After everything that has happened to him, to his family, and to his friends, she couldn't blame him for anything. There was only one man to be blamed; he wasn't there to take it. Reaching out and resting a hand on his shoulder, she gave him a reasurring smile. Her touch made him shake, but it was from only being surprised. "No, Toji. You may go home now and get some rest."

Toji watched her hand slowly slide down his arm before returning to her side. He looked up in time to see her sad smile as she turned to walk away. "Thank you, doctor."

Ritsuko paused and turned to Toji, who was already facing the opposite direction and walking away to clean up and change. After what had happened to Shinji, her heart cried for the children that were left. Rei no longer had an Eva to pilot, Asuka was just recovering in the hospital, the Fifth Child becoming an Angel and having to be killed, and Shinji... Her Thoughts drifted as she thought about the Third Child. "Shinji..."

At that time, another woman within NERV was thinking of the same young man as Ritsuko. The raven color haired Major sat in her office, once again recovering from a series of tears that poured from her blood shot eyes. Before her was a picture of the two men that had made an impact on her life. One was older and an ex-lover, the other younger and who would have been considered a son. As much as she loved the first, her heart cried out for the return of the second, her index finger running along the image of his face and the small shy smile he had. "Shinji," she said. Another wave of tears threatened to emerge but she forced them back. Checking her watch, she saw it was time for her to go and check up on Asuka. In the past week she has made progress and was walking well again after she awoke from her coma. Much to her disliking, Asuka wanted to continue piloting. The look in her eyes allowed Misato to see a change in the young redhead. She had changed over the time she was in that comma and it worried the major.

Elsewhere in NERV, deep within the Commander's office, Gendo was panicing. Paper lye strone across his desk and on his floor; reports from Section 02 appearing on the holographic screen in front of him giving more and more bad news that he did not wish to see. He wanted results and he wasn't getting any. Unit-01, Shinji...they were no where to be found. In a fit of anger, he shoved the reports off his desk, the image before him disappearing to leave him in the dark cold office. He breathed heavily, exhausted from lack of sleep for the past few days. "Where could they be?" he asked himself.

Elsewhere, the night air was cold and the winds were harsh. That was to be expected when you were this far north of Asia. Where, Shinji didn't know, but didn't care. He was in a lot of pain but he ignored it as he ran for his Eva, which was laying face down in the trees. He could hear the shouts of the farmers he had stollen the food from. He felt horrible for taking their apple pie, but he needed the food. And running on a full stomach sucked even more._ Running,_ he thought. _It seems to be the only thing I'm good at now. I can't save anyone or stop the one's I love from getting hurt. I've killed and injured my friends and they have all left me._ He looked ahead as he saw the open plug in the back of Unit-01._ All I have now is you, Eva...and mother._ He jumped up on the arm and climbed his way up, the sound of the barking dogs getting closer and closer. Climbing inside the plug, he closed the hatch and waited for it sink into the back of Unit-01. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his connection. With the lack of LCL he had in the plug, it was a bit difficult, but soon the lights of his plug flashed their rainbow pattern then cleared to a view of the ground. With a sigh of relief, he took hold of the butterfly grips and raised his Eva off the ground. The hulking mass of Unit-01 rose to one knee, stopping to look over it shoulder at the small farmer's family that had chased him to this point. They all froze; the farmer and his two sons. He had a daughter that Shinji had to admit was kinda cute, but she wasn't with them.

With its eyes glowing, Unit-01 pushed off the ground and was gone in an instant, running at a speed most could never imagine. Shinji couldn't understand it. How was he getting this strong? Shouldn't his sync with Eva be down? Shouldn't it have completely gone to zero? He wasn't sure and he didn't care. What he cared the most was that his father was hurt. He smiled, imagining how mad his father must be right at that very moment._ You don't deserve me or mother, father. Whatever mother saw in you is obviously gone, along with what ever memory I had of you even being a good man when I was only four._

Shinji watched on, watching through the darkness around him, his mind focused on nothing but moving his Eva as fast as its mighty legs could move. He wasn't good with making prodictions, but Shinji guessed he would be in Russia or Germany at the speed he was going in no time, so long as he didn't take a break. Why he was going there, he wasn't even sure. But as he thought of reaching Germany, a certain redheaded German girl came to mind. Unit-01 abrutly came to a stop, standing up right in the thick forest that surrounded it. In an instant, the area around Shinji completely changed in a blink of an eye. The shock caused him to stumble back slightly, then forward till he caught his balance and uprighted himself. He stood in a field of orange flowers, ones he had never seen before. He was even more startled when he caught a glimps of his body. No longer was he in his plug suit, but he had the body of his Eva, minus the shoulder pylons. He stared at the strong hands he had, his fingers curling into a fist and uncurling. He was only broken from his trance when a familiar voice came to him, and a warm feeling.

"Hello Shinji," Matoko said, her voice calm and happy.

Shinji turned and looked over his shoulder. He could see the top of Matoko's hair, her back pressed to his. She was wearing her school uniform, the same uniform she wore that same day they met and the day he..."But, how?"

"This place isn't real Shinji, but only in your heart." Shinji wanted to turn and face her, but he felt he had no right. Matoko felt this and smiled, letting a giggle slip. She turned around, her chest pressing to his back while her left arm reached around to his chest. Her hand lye on a single spot over his chest. She felt him shudder by her touch and smiled. "It doesn't hurt anymore, does it?"

Shinji knew what she meant. It was the same spot where Unit-02's Progressive Box Cutter had pierced his chestplate during the battle with Matoko. "No." She pressed her hand harder to his chest.

"What about this?"

Shinji's head lowered further, hischin barely touching his chest. He knew again what she meant. "A little."

"Do you know why you are here?"

Shinji looked off to the side, searching for the answer.

"Are you looking for forgiveness?" she asked, her smile never fading.

His head nodded slowly. "I...I guess...I mean, I would like to be forgiven..."

"By who?" she asked in almost a whisper to his ear.

When Shinji looked back to face her, she was gone. The field of orange flowers were gone and he no longer had the body of Unit-01, but his orriginal body with his plug suit. He still sat silently and alone on the Throne of Souls, his hands gripping the butterfly controls in front of him. "By who?" he repeated Matoko's last question. "Who do I ask for forgiveness, Matoko Nagisa?"

Ritsuko arched a brow as she looked up at Misato, who was sipping on a paper cup of coffee. "I can't believe you're actually drinking coffee in the morning." When she didn't get a responce from her college friend, Ritsuko sighed and turned to the computer. "Anyway, I've got some news. The US got their Unit-04 back." She could hear the sound of Misato spitting her coffee out at the news. "Even designated a pilot for us as well."

Misato rushed over and leaned over her friends left shoulder, staring at the computer in front of her. She watched the details of Unit-04 run slowly down the screen, even showing images of the once missing unit. "It looks like Unit-03, only silver and red."

"Same design, only it has a fully working S2 engine," Ritsuko said taking a sip of her coffee. "It just appeared out of the blue one day a week ago. We didn't get the knews until just recently."

"So they tested it already?" Misato asked, standing upright and folding her arms over her chest.

"Of course. They had already chosen a pilot for it long before the accident. She was called in for a test and then sent back home when it was over, just a week before the accident. When the scores showed how good a pilot she could be, they orriginally made her to be the Fifth till it "disappeared." Now she's the Sixth Child and she just happens to be of Japanese, American lineage so we don't have to worry about any language barriers."

"Really?"

"Mother was Japanese, father was an American. Cute little thing too," she said, letting her left hand run across the keyboard and brought up the pilots files. "Mana Kirishima, age 14 and born May 3, 2001. She was born in the United States and stayed there till she was eight years old when her mother and father had a divorce where she and her mother returned and lived in Tokyo-02. Mother died in a car accident while her daughter was at school four years later. With no other relatives she had to live with her father, who decided to move and live in Tokyo-02 so Mana wouldn't have to deal with the burden of moving again. Currently working for an electronics company that actually supplies us with some of our major components for our security." Ritsuko had managed to say all of this without even looking at the screen. Seeing that she had already memmorized all that information alone made Misato's eye twitch. With a sigh, Ritsuko rested her cup down on her desk and looked over at the clock. "How's Asuka doing?"

Misato's eyes narrowed. "Angry as usual. She's walking much better now since her recovery from the comma. One nurse had said something and Asuka nearly took her head off. Had one of the male nurses not been there Asuka would be in more trouble then she is already. She's still demanding to have some tests done so she can try and pilot again. I told her it wasn't my decision to make but I would see what I could do."

"You're not thinking of talking to the Commander, are you?" Ritsuko asked, looking at Misato from the corner of her eye.

"Of course not. No one's even seen the Commander since Unit-01 was stollen." Misato's eyes narrowed again as she looked at Ritsuko. "We all know why." Ritsuko almost seemed to shrink back from Misato, but kept her composure. "He's probably still in his office going over the information that Section-02 brings in about Unit-01's latest appearance." Misato took another sip of her coffee. "I honostly hope they never catch him."

"You know you can get into serious trouble if the wrong people heard you talk like that."

Misato sighed and crossed her arms. "At this point, I really don't care." She took in a deep sigh and looked at the clock. "So when does she arrive?" Misato paled when she saw Ritsuko grin at her.

Mana Kirishima stood patiently at the train station. Carrying only two suitcases full of clothing, and wearing the white sun-dress with matching hat, she waited patiently for her ride to her new home, even though she wasn't informed where she would be staying. See looked down at her wrist-watch, seeing she had arrived a good few minutes early, but she had hoped to be at her new home already. The weather in Tokyo-03 seemed to be much warmer then that of back home. Good thing she decided to wear her new dress for her debut.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Eva. Never have and never will. Most of the characters don't belong to me either. I might make one or two up, maybe even more, but you guys out there know who belongs to who. So, on with the story.

Enjoy.

Chapter02

The sun was high over head and with the wind just right, the day was as comfortable as Shinji had ever felt it to be. He remembered back in his earlier school days, before Eva, that being this far north would be freezing for him in his current condition, but because of Second Impact, it was still warm even this far North. Not as humid and hot as it was in Tokyo-03, but comfortable; like that feeling of warmth in bed after a good night's sleep. Shinji looked down at the thought, trying to remember what a good night's sleep felt like. It had been so long since he felt the comfrot of a bed. The soft sheets keeping him warm with a soft pillow to rest his tired head upon. No, his bed was either the entry plug, or the ground beneath his Eva.

Sitting down on the purple beast's shoulder, Shinji rest his chin on his right knee which he brought to his chest. Wrapping his arms around it to keep it in place, he stared off into the distance as the sun was beginning to set. At night he would continue his travel north. It was better to move at that point; not many people can spot a large creature like an Eva without proper equipment during the day so it was safe to hide and rest. And being this far off in the wild, he doubted anyone would see him unless they were camping, which he doubted. Doubt was something else that was growing within him, and he knew it. What he doubted the most was his sanity at this point. He had no idea where he was running, what he plans to do, or how long he will continue this run. Till he is caught, maybe? Or until he finally looses his mind. "Could be worse," he spoke to no one but perhaps Eva. "Could be back at NERV waiting for my next order to kill." A samll plan he had come up with one time was to go to Germany and find the man that called himself Asuka's father, and demand as to why he hasn't visited his own daughter. The last he saw Asuka, she was upset and had ran off to Hikari's. Shortly after that, he heard she had disappeared; ran away...like him.

As the sun began to disappear into the distant horizon, Shinji's eyes fell to the earth far below. He had tried jumping once from the top of Unit-01 shortly after he ran away. But the Eva had saved him. His attempt to end his pain and all the horrible nightmares and bad memories were stopped by a singl massive hand. Why did it save him? Was it mother? Didn't she know his pain when syncing with him? That dying was the only way to stop the pain in his chest, the constant pain in his head where he constantly heard the voices. He remembered the first time he heard those voices, and when for half a day and one night, they had completely stopped. She stopped them; her voice, her touch, her kind words, her love...everything about her stopped his pain.

The light of the sun disappearing, Shinji rose back up and turned to the entry plug. It was time to run some more. His favorite pastime.

Ritsuko yawned as she fumbled for her keys. It was already late at night but she was thankful for her small break given to her. As she unlocked her apartment door and entered, one of her cats was quick to great her. The white and orange furred pet meowed and purred against her leg as she entered, forcing the fake blonde to give a careing smile. Kicking her shoes off, too tired to care where they landed, she entered the living room and went straight to the couch, falling face first down into its welcoming embrace with her purse falling to the floor and on its side. The bed was too far away and she didn't want to move. The cat who greeted her at the door jumped up and examined her owners face, followed by a black and white cat which climbed to the back of the couch to look down at its master. The two listened to the light snoring Ritsuko made as she completely submited to the comort of her couch.

But all this ended a few hours later as the sun began to rise again to start another day. The light though, wasn't what woke her. It was the smell of fresh morning breakfast being made from her kitchen. Lifting her head, she felt her stiff body pop at certain joints, but ignored them. Sitting up, she stretched out to the air followed by a mighty yawn. Closing her eyes she allowed the full effect of the aroma from the kitchen take her away. As her eyes opened, she was greeted with the site of her new roomate slowly walking into the livingroom with a tray disaplying the breakfast she found herself craving so badly. Now she understood why Misato enjoyed Shinji living with her so much. Mana was a wonderful roomate and she was happy to have someome around to talk with. It had only been three days since her arrival, but the girl was quick to make herself at home and was very polite. As the tray was placed in front of her, Ritsuko swore she could have died as the smell nearly took her to heaven.

"Goodmorning, Doctor Akagi," Mana said politely. "I had hoped you would be awake by the time I was done. Hope you enjoy an American style breakfast."

"Oh I do," Ritsuko said, taking up the cup of coffee that came with her meal. "Its just been so long since I've had one. Since I've had an actual breakfast for that matter!"

Mana watched happily as Ritsuko dug in. She was happy someone was around to enjoy her cooking, and quickly went off to get her own. Returning shortly later with her own tray, she moved and sat next to her 'guardian' and began to eat along side her. She looked down to see three cats sitting on their rears, watching the two of them eat their breakfast. Mana smiled and said, "They look hungry."

Ritsuko narrowed her eyes at the three. "They're always hungry. At the rate you feed them, they'll get fat."

Mana giggled. "True, but they look so sad when they want something to eat." She took another bite and looked to Ritsuko. "I heard you come in late. It was at least two in the morning."

Ritsuko paused with a sigh. Setting her coffee down, she stared at her plate. "The Commander is working us night and day, searching for Unit-01. This was the first bit of rest I've had in the past three, almost four days. I'm surprised I didn't pass out on my way home."

The young pilot bit her lip as she thought on what to say next; well, more importantly, ask. Just before her arrival into Tokyo-03, she had heard of the third Child going rouge and stealing Unit-01, but her curiousity wandered onto why? Her curiousity getting the best of her, she spoke. "Doctor..."

"Please, call me Ritsuko. We're off duty for the next," she checked her watch and sulked. "two hours so their's no need to be so polite." Shel ifted her coffee to take a sip.

"O..okay. Um, Ritsuko. Why did Shinji Ikari steal Unit-01?" Mana watched Ritsuko's hand shake after asking the question.

The older woman sat the cup down and licked her lips. Taking a deep breath, she began. "A few months back, at least a week before the Fourth Child's re-instatement as a pilot, the Seventeenth Angel made its appearance in a startling manner. What we thought was another canidate for piloting Eva, was our enemy." Ritsuko sat back, Mana watching intently from her side. "The Fifth Child, Matoko Nagisa, appeared and showed signs of being perhaps the best pilot we ever had. She could control her syncronization with Evangelion Unit-02 at will, and it was amazing. But it also brought up suspicion, and fear. What also caught our attention was her attraction to Shinji. Section 02 reported that they spotted Shinji by the lake where Unit-00 had selfdestructed and that's where Matoko made her appearance to him for the first time directly after her first test. From the report that was made, they spent time talking then left for headquarters where our survailance cameras monitered them..." she was cut short as she heard hre cell going off, much to the disappointment to the young girl beside her. With a sigh she moved her tray aside and looked for her purse. When she found it, she quickly withdrew the cell and answered. "Yes?" There was a moment of silence till she turned and looked at Mana. "Yes sir. We'll be there shortly."

Mana watched her hang up and stuff the phone back into her purse. "Is everything alright?" she asked, a little concerned.

"Not really. We've been called in early and the Commander wants to see you."

Misato sat quietly in the conferance room, staring at the only three other people in the room with her. Across the table, to her right, sat the Sub-Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki. His hands were laced together and resting on the pollished wood surface. His eyes were closed as if in deep thought but Misato was wondering deep in her mind if he was actually asleep. She had never actually seen the man take a day off, nor had she seen him leave the command center since Shinji left. The commander was running them ragged. At this thought her eyes drifted to the other person to her left side, was the First Child Rei Ayanami, who she hadn't seen at all since Shinji's disappearance. Misato blinked as she studied the girl further. Misato didn't think it was possible, but the young pilot looked even more pale then normal. Her clothes looked warn and dirty, like she hadn't cleaned them and her hair was mess. Did Shinji have thism uch of a effect on the girl. Misato immediately remembered what effect the girl had on Shinji, then frowned. She really didn't want to remember that room where the other Rei's were kept. Not at this time.

Now the quiet room was getting on her nerves. The only sound was comming from the constant ticking of the clock hanging on the wall, and the light breathing from the red-head sitting next to her. Misato took a glance at Asuka as she sat quietly, her eyes closed, back straight, and hands in her lap. This scared Misato the most. Asuka was never to be this quiet, unless ordered to, and she was doing this of her own will. Ever since her recent test with Unit-02 went so well, she had been a little...better? Was that the word? She no longer shouted or got angry, and everytime the subject of Eva came up and her sync rising higher then it had ever gone before she would smile and actuall give a simple thank you without bragging about how great she was. And then there were the ocassions where she would spot her staring at Shinji's door when going to her room. Misato had been meaning to ask her about it; about how she felt but decided against it.

The door to the room broke the silence and Ritsuko was surprised that she was late and Misato was actually early. _Now I know the world is going to hell_, she thought. Ritsuko stepped to the side letting Mana walk in and examine the room. The new pilot spotted the First and Second Children and was releaved that she wasn't the only one. She blinked however, when she noticed the Fourth Child was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello, everyone," Ritsuko said, moving to Misato's side. She looked to see the First Child, her eye twitching at the site of the girl. _She looks like hell...not that I care._ She then looked at Asuka. "Well, its good to see you're in better health, Asuka. And congradulations on your high syncronization scores. I'm sorry I wasn't there to pay witness to it myself but I've been very busy." She watched the red-head smile and give a slight nod. _Okay, did Gendo start cloning Asuka now? Cause this can't be the same girl, right?_ A rough grunt pulled her attention to Fuyutsuki. "Oh, right. Rei, Asuka," the two girls stared at her. "I would like you to meet the Sixth Child, and pilot of Evnagelion Unit-04, Mana Kirishima."

Misato watched the three exchange greetings. She still felt horrible for arriving so late to pick the young girl up on her frist day. It seemed to be a habit when she had to go and meet them for the first time. She was especially surprised when Ritsuko said she would be the one taking her in. _Guess it gets boring living with only cats, huh Ritsuko?_

Mana and Ritsuko sat next to Misato. Then all eyes fell om Fuyutsuki as he stood up and examined the room and its occupants. He took in a deep breath, becuase he knew the information he was about to give, they wouldn't like.

Toji looked up at Maya as they both casually walked down the hall to a meeting room where he was tolled he had guests. He was a little irritated at the idea his testing was canceled, but quickly changed his mind. _They could have at least let me change out of the plug suit_, he thought. He looked up at the woman beside him and noticed the circles around her eyes. "Is everything okay?" he asked, deciding to take his role of replacing Shinji a little further by showing his concern.

Maya blinked at the sudden change of silence that she had between her and the young man at her side. She smiled down at him. "No, of course not. Why do you ask?"

"You don't look like you've gotten much sleep."

"Of that," she said with a small laugh. "I've just been working late with Dr. Akagi and the other staff. Taking care of you pilots, the Evas, and staying focused on any attacks takes a lot out of us."

"Not to mention the time you've spent searching for Shinji, right?" Toji decided to throw in.

Maya bit her lip. "Um, yea. That too."

Silence again fell between them till Maya stopped at a door. Turning to the young man, she gave him a smile and a pat on the shoulder. "Here you go. Your guest are inside. Take as long as you need."

Arching a brow, Toji nodded a thanks and turned to the door. As it slid open, he stepped in and was immediately assulted by a small figure who rushed him and wrapped its arms around his body in a tight embrace. His jaw fell open as he noticed the dark brown hair of the small figure that was hugging him, tears beginning to swell in his eyes as his arms slowly lowered down and returned the embrace. "Toji," she said, her voice a ghost of a memory that came rushing back to the front of his mind. He felt himself collapse as he held his sister. Her body went with his as the two sat on the cold floor. Her tears ran down the smoothness of his plug suit and his soaked into her hair.

How long had it been since he last saw her, he wondered? _Oh God! I can't believe I had almost fogotten her!_ His tears came harder as he beganh ating himself for not looking into her well being.

A quiet sniffle turned his attention from his little sister to another figure that stood in the room. The brown pig-tails and dimpals he recognized, but school uniform was different. No longer teal-green and white but a plad-brown and white school uniform with the school's logo and patch just on the left side in gold trim. Hikari was trying her best not to cry, but seeing Toji and his sister reunited like this was almost too much to bare. She smiled as Toji made eye contact and smiled in return.

Toji rose up, lifting his little sister into his arms who quickly wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn't want to move from her big brother just yet. Craddling the young Suzahara in his arms, he approached Hikari who blushed and looked down at the floor while rubbing the tears out of her eyes with her left hand. He stopped just short of two feet from her. "Hi...Hikari," he said weakly.

"Hello, Suzaha..."

"Toji." he said, interrupting her. She looked into his eyes again. "You can call me Toji, ya'know?" he continued to smile at her as her cheeks turned even more red then Asuka's hair.

"Okay, Toji."

With a nod, Toji lead her over to a table and chairs, sitting down with his sister still in his arms. She had cried herself so hard, she was asleep on his lap. Toji looked down at her and spoke softly. "How long has she been out of the hospital?"

Hikari blinked. "Almost three months. Your father left NERV after what happened to you but you were still a part of it. He and Mari moved to Tokyo-02 where most of our class is located. He was going to bring you there too but then he heard you joined NERV again." That's when she realized his arm and leg. Her pale, shocked expression went unnoticed as Toji looked away. "Your body, Toji. What...how..?"

"I made a deal with the devil, Hikari," Toji said, a fresh tear running down his cheek. "For a new arm and leg, I rejoined NERV and I'm piloting the same monster that got me into this mess in the first place." He didn't see it, but he heard her gasp and could guess she was about to cry again. "And things are much worse. Shinji's gone and has stollen Unit-01. The whole compound is going crazy trying to find him, but he's been missing far too long and they're just now getting close to finding him. They even had the nerve to come and tell me that I was going to go and hunt him down."

"WHAT?" was the combined shout of all personnel in the conferance room, aside from a silent, deathly glare from Rei. Asuka had stood up from her seat, throwing her chair to the side, flames burning brightly from eyes then ever before out of the rage she was feeling. Misato was doing everything she had inside her to control her actions and not draw her pistol to go and hunt down the commander. Ritsuko and Mana stared in mild shock.

Hikari stared only in silence as Toji looked down at his sister. She couldn't honostly think of anything to say or do to help the situation. But her thoughts were broken when Mari spoke up with closed eyes. "You're not going to do it, are you Toji?"

The little girl opened her brown eyes and looked up at her big brother, who gave a small smile. "No, of course not. Shinji's my friend and they can do whatever they want to me before I fight my pal."

"That is why I called you here," Fuyutsuki stated, trying to keep the situation under control. "We have gathered enough information for the MAGI to plan Shinji's next move and where he might be headed. Pilots Soryu and Kirishima are to be prepped and ready for take off with their Evas by the end of the day. As such, they are to be ready to confront Unit-01 and its pilot and are to take both into custody, by any means nessacary."

"Why are you sending me?" Asuka shouted, still standing and refusing to back down at the sub-commander locked eyes with her in a staring contest.

"You have the most experiance in combat, Asuka. Mana may have a S2 powered Eva like Shinji, but you have the battle experiance needed to put him down, and with your increased scores, you may be more then enough to handle him." He looked to Mana, but the girl looked to the floor, probably confused on the situation as to what morally should be done. Fuyutsuki sighed and stood up. "Look, I don't like this anymore then you, but these are orders from Commander Ikari."

"But sir, Mana has no combat experiance," Ritsuko said, coming to the aid of the new pilot. "If she were to aid in the battle, there's no telling how she would fair."

"Yea, no offence newbie, but I'd take Wondergirl over there instead since she has more experiance," Asuka said, looking to the new pilot.

Mana glared and said, "Thanks. None taken." _What the hell did I do to deserve that?_ She thought.

_Well, at least Asuka is the same,_ Ritsuko thought. "She does have a point, sir. Rei would be a good choice and given Asuka and Rei's connection to him, that might help things better." She could feel Misato's eyes burning into her. _I see she still hasn't forgotten our little fieldtrip from before to Rei's sisters._

"Yes. I wish to volunteer my survices in the retrivale of Pilot Ikari," Rei spoke up, standing up from her chair.

Fuyutsuki sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose._ I'm being assulted by five women at the same time._ "The Commander has made it clear that Rei is to not get involved in this situation with the Third Child." _I've never seen Rei this angry before. God help me._ The room fell silent, all eyes burning into the sub-commander, who felt very small at that moment. The first to move was Misato, followed quickly by Asuka and surprisingly by Rei. Ritsuko hesitated at first, but rose and left as well with Mana close behind. The older man collapsed in his seat staring up at the ceiling. "Shinji, you have no idea how lucky you are to have so many people looking out for you. I'm sorry you couldn't see it before."

Misato marched down the hall, her fists balled tightly as she stared straight ahead. Asuka and Rei stood on either side Ritsuko and Mana close behind. "Asuka," she said, catching the red-heads attention. "You and Mana have your orders. You two will go and change for your leave. Ritsuko and I will go and prep the Eva's for transport. Rei, you will stay with me, understood?"

"I can't believe you're actually going along with this!" Asuka shouted, stopping to further her protests and causeing the group to hault. "They want us to hunt, Misato, HUNT Shinji down and put him down by any means! That means even going as far as..."

"I know this, damn it!" Misato shouted back, her glare forcing the young pilot to back off. She looked away. "I know and I trust you to make the right decission should things get out of hand, Asuka." She heard her gasp. "Mana's Eva will last longer in the fight, but you have more experiance. At least try talking to him first before attacking." With that, Misato continued her march.

Asuka let her eyes follow the Major, before noticing Rei was staring directly at her. She glared and approached the albino, locking her eyes with Rei's. Fire and ice stood off as the two silently waged some sort of mental battle that left Mana and Ritsuko out of the loop. The silence was broken by Rei. "Bring Ikari back, safely." Her words spoken, Rei turned and followed after the Major.

Ritsuko patted Mana on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Shinji won't hurt you or Asuka. You're not his enemy. But if things should get out of hand..."

"Don't worry, Ritsuko," Mana interrupted. "With Asuka at my side, I won't have anything to worry about."

Ritsuko smiled and turned to walk away and catch up with Rei and Misato. Mana watched her as she disappeared down the hall, and turned to look at Asuka with her back turned to her. "So, what now, Asuka?" she asked. "What do we do?"

Asuka straightened up, tossing her hair off her shoulders. "We go and find that dork and pop him one for leaving us poor defenseless girls to fend for ourselves. After all, he is the Invincable Shinji!" Mana could feel herself wanting to fall over, but kept her balance and watched the red-headed pilot walk off while popping her knuckles. Hurry up, rookie! I don't have all day! Jeeze you're about as slow as Shinji..."

To Be Continued...

ZeroAcception: Holy crap, man. Chapter 2 finally up and done! Damn. Sorry it took so long but work gets in the way, ya'know. I know this one is only slightly longer then chapter 1, but it'll get better. I'm trying to make this to be like, say, if it was an Anime, that it would be an OVA, ya'know what I mean? Like how most are 3 episodes or six episodes long. Things like that. I'll try my best to make them longer too. PROMISE.

Another thing, everyone is curious about the pairing here. I'm a guy who likes to keep people happy and I would like to make everyojne's wishes to the rare Shinji/Ritsuko or Shinji/Misato, or Shinji/Misato/Ritsuko pairings, but I also LOVE making surprises. So as for this one, the pairing is a secrete. NOW For my other fic that I'm working on as well, I will say it will be a Shinji/Misato fic. BUT for those of the Shinji/Ritsuko pairing, I plan to make an entirely new fic for that, and I have a good Idea for it too! And after reading some info on the site I believe to be made by God himself, I plan to make more fics in the future, but hopefully, I'll finish one or two before I start on them.

ALSO, some are probably going to wonder when I will explain some shit here, say how Asuka got her groove back sort of speak, or what exactly went down between Shinji and Matoko. Also as to where the hell the commader is too! That's if anyone really gives a damn about that old fart. Trust me, I won't leave you hanging. I just love making suspence. I await your comments and flames.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Eva. Never have and never will. Most of the characters don't belong to me either. I might make one or two up, maybe even more, but you guys out there know who belongs to who. So, on with the story.

Enjoy.

Chapter03

_Asuka Langley Soryu. Born December 4, 2001. She was chosen as the Second Child to pilot Eva in the year 2005 at the age of four. Pilot of Evangelion Unit-02, the first Production Model designed and built in NERV's German branch. She had pushed herself so far, so hard to achieve and let everyone know she existed and that she was the best and deserved nothing less. That was her dream. For everyone to see her and know her and love her! This dream continued even when she didn't get the much wanted attention from the man she considered to love above all else, Ryoji Kaji, an older man of thirty-one. But her dreams, it seemed, were never meant to be. Ever since she first met that weakling, that wimp, her life and dreams were shot to hell. That little, pathetic boy known as Shinji Ikari continuously showed himself to be better, and didn't accept any of the glory that was given to him. Always appologizing for the smallest things. Why? WHY?_

_Why was this boy so better then her? As her scores slowly dropped, his rapidly increased! His luck outmatched her and he survived where even she knew she wouldn't. In a since, that boy had died perhaps twice while piloting Eva and still came out the hero. So what was Asuka to do, now that her dreams were crushed! Crumbled and tossed aside like trash, her scores dropped even more after her horrible defeat by not only the Thirtenth Angel, but the Fourthtenth as well! Both battles ended with the Angel's beating her and her Eva with the simplest of ease and Shinji, once again, emerged victorious with killing them both with that pathetic Test Model, Unit-01. Sure, Rei didn't fair any better, but it w as expected since she was almost as weak as him. But her ultimate failure came when it was not Shinji but Rei that saved her when the Fifthteenth angel attacked from Lunar Orbit. That Angel brought back all the memories from her horrible past that she had tried so hard to forget. It violated her mind; she had been raped. And as this happened, she went as far as wished Shinji would come and rescue her. But he didn't, and she was saved by that doll._

_As the cringing form of Asuka remembered these events, a doll hanging from a rope slowly rocked in the air, the voice of her mother again haunting her to come with her into death. But Asuke did nothing but cry, her arms tightly wrapped around her legs as her tears stained her school uniform. She didn't want to die, but she wanted it to end. She wanted the pain to stop, she wanted to forget, she wanted..._

_"To run away?" a calm, feminine voice spoke_

_Asuka's head snapped up at the sound of the unfamiliar voice and stared up at the doll hanging in front of her and watched it as the hand that held the rope tossed it aside without a care. She follwed it into the darkness then snapped her eyes to the girl who wore the same school uniform as her. She had a bright smile on her face with ruby red eyes and untamed gray hair. She looked a lot like Rei, which made Asuka frown at this and look away._

_"Go away."_

_The girl continued to smile. "Why?"_

_"Just go."_

_"Were you expecting someone else?"_

_"I said GO!" Asuka shouted, her eyes closed tightly. She burried her face into her knees as she again returned to her fetal position._

_"Why are you running away? Or what are you running away from?"_

_"Nothing! I'm not running from anything!"_

_"Well, this little one seems to think differently."_

_Asauk peeked first, but then looked up at the small child that looked exactly like her when she was a child. The little girl held an angry look that was aimed right at her. "You too are running!" she said in a cute, small voice that would make a mother smile in amusement. Asuka didn't know what to say to her former younger self. "You had everything, and you let it slip away!"_

_"No, it was Shinji and Wondergirls fault!"_

_"No it wasn't!" she said, stomping her foot on the floor like almost any child would to get their point around. The stranger to her side snickered, finding the little girl's anger amusing. "Shinji wanted to help but you kept pushing him away!"_

_"She's right you know." the strange girl said._

_"Stay out of this!" the two red-heads said at the same time, getting another snicker from the girl._

_"So what if this is all my fault?" the girl on the floor shouted at the younger. "There's nothing I can do? I'm useless, tainted! A waste of goods, time and money!"_

_"That's not what Shinji tolled me," the other girl spoke._

_Asuka turned her eyes to the gray haired girl. "What?"_

_"Shinji tolled me differently. He never once spoke ill of you. During our time together, I asked him of his oppinion of you and he said good things." She said all this while approaching the younger Asuka and resting her hands on the small girls shoulders. The little one looked up at the girl, blinking with question and confusion at the strange girl that touched her._

_"Probably perverted things..." she snarled as she watched this stranger laugh. "And what's so damn funny?"_

_"He said you were one of the strongest people he had ever met and was happy to have known you."_

_"Was one of the people he knew? What do you mean?"_

_"She means you're asleep!" the little Asuka said._

_Auka blinked and remembered what was happening. She had exhaused all her energy and had tried to kill herself in one of the buildings ruined by Unit-00's destruction. She hadn't eaten in days since she ran away from Misato's and with nothing to eat, she had nothing left in her to move the broken piece of mirror across her wrist to finish the job._

_"You were found by Section-02 who brought you into the NERV Hospital," the girl spoke again. "You're in a coma, Asuka. One you put yourself in to escape the outside world; to escape the pain. But I'm here to help you escape and find the ones you really wish to be with."_

_The room of darkness vanished to reveal a spinning room of images of Asuka's life. Her as a child embraced by a loving mother; images of her time playing with the older man named Kaji; her times with Hikari her first true friend at her school in Tokyo-03; the times she spent in that cramped apartment with Misato and PenPen; the two stooges that she liked to beat up on; the blue haired pilot that seemed to annoy her; the first true rival she had ever had in the form of a brown haired boy she had always accused of being a wimp. She followed each image as those past times came back to her in detail and as she watched, the images slowly started to change into memories of only that boy._

_"Shinji..." she muttered._

_"He needs your help Asuka," the girl spoke. "Shinji is alone out in the world and in great pain. I believe you may be the only person who can undue the terrible things I have done to him."_

_Asuka blinked before her eyes showed a tint of anger. Slowly raising to her feet, her fist balled to strike this foreign girl, she shouted. "What do you mean, what you've done to him? Huh? Who are you! What have you done to Shinji?" She wathed the smile on this Rei wanna-be fade to a sad smile. The little Asuka slowly moved away and approached her older personna, standing just at her side. Her eyes remained focused on the girl, never paying attention to the images around her changing to ones she never saw before; images of a girl and boy, lying in a room together on the floor. The images changed again to ones of a fight between Unit-01 and Unit-02. The final image being of said boy, crying and holding a broken, limp body in his arms while covered in LCL and blood that was not of his own while perched in the palm of Unit-01._

_"That's why we need you to wake up, Asuka," she said, gesturing to herself and the younger girl._

_The little one pulled on Asuka's skirt. "We need to wake up mama!"_

_She looked to the mini-me. "Mama?" The images quickly disappeared faster then the darkness from before by display lighting. She was once again in the hanger of the Eva cage; specifically Unit-02's cage. She turned and looked at the four jewels that made up the beast's eyes and its shinning red, orange/yellow, and white armor platting. But the platting unlocked, opening to reveal the glowing white eyes that this Eva only had revealed once during the attack of the 6th Angel. The little Asuka ran past and over to the protective railing._

_"Mama!"_

_Asuka's eyes widened in disbelief as it finally started to dawn on her on what this was all meaning, but was compeltely snapped out of it when the white haired girl came up from behind with her arms wrapping around Asuka's waist. Her head resting against Asuka's back and she whispered, "Help Shinji. He needs you more then ever; other wise he'll just keep running to find what he thinks he doesn't have."_

_"And what is that?" Asuka asked, completely forgetting that there was a girl hugging her from behind like they were some sort of lesbo couple._

_"Love and forgiveness." And with that, the girl pushed Asuka so hard, she tumbled into the open arms of the younger Asuka, both which went 'through' the railing like ghost and into the face of Unit-02. A blinding warm light welcomed them both as the younger Asuka disappeared from the older one with a smile on her face._

Asuka opened her eyes as she stared up at the face of Unit-02. Her eyes danced along the lifeless surface of its red armor. "That's when I woke up," she said, finishing her tail to her machine of choice. "I had tried to walk just after waking but being out of it for so long, you loose the strength in your body. I had fallen flat on my ass..." she said with a slight giggle. "It was kinda funny now that I think back on it." She looked down at the coolent that surrounded the Eva. "She never tolled me who she was and how she knew these things. Maybe she was some weird version of the First I had made up in my dreams or something. Ew, gross. Now I think I'm having dreams of Wondergirl?" She laughed again, followed only by a sigh. "I don't know why I'm telling you this now. I guess I'm doing it now cause I'm going to need your help more then ever to bring that ideot back home." She looked up into the four eyes that stared back at her. "You are going to help me, aren't you mama?"

**OOO**

"The time has long passed, Ikari," Seele 07 spoke through the form of a black monolith.

"Third Impact will begin and our journy to greatness will finally be realized," Seele 03 spoke.

Said Ikari, Commander of NERV, sat in his usual possition in the center of the Seele members with his finger laced together in front of his mouth. He silently stared at the black floor in front of him and his desk. This was the first time in months since he had last had a meeting with the 'old men'.

"What news do you bring us of Unit-01's retrievale?" Seele 01 spoke, silencing the others.

Gendo remained calm and focused. "I have taken steps to insure its recovery from the defective Third Child."

"Can you explain his overall capcity to control Unit-01 for so long?" Seele 07 spoke. "Has he learned or been instructed to use Eva on a higher level that he should not have been?"

"I too am curious," spoke Seele 04. "The child has had more contact with Angels and Eva alike. Is there something you are not telling us, Ikari?"

"Has the boy achieved a higher form? Is he more then human?" Seele 07 spoke again.

Again, Gendo remained calm. "If the child had achieved such a form, I would not know. The time he has spent from NERV has been too long and his 'change' would have happened during that time. He has elluded not only NERV but the UN and you as well. It would almost seem that someone or something is helping him escape our site."

"We too have thought of this, Ikari," Seele 01 spoke. "What are your plans to recover the unit?"

"I am sending the Second and Sixth Children to the most recent siting of Unit-01 and from there, they will track the Eva down and subdue it by force. The Second Child is more then capable of handeling a one on one battle between herself and the Third Child, but his S2 powered Eva may prove too much of a problem. Hence my decission to send the Sixth Child and Unit-04 with its fully functional S2 Engine as assistance. NERV Agents will assist should the child attempt to flee on foot."

The room fell silent for only a few seconds, and those seconds were timely in the dark room of monoliths till Seele 01 spoke, "Leave. I wish to speak with Ikari alone." Mumbled protests were heard, but one by one the other monoliths disappeared, leaving 01 with Gendo. "You and I both know why the Eva continues to obey the pilot and not you, Gendo." The Commander of NERV was not fazed. "You will retrieve Unit-01 with minimum damage. The pilot is of no concern. His fate I will leave in your hands." With that, Seele 01 disappeared, leaving Gendo alone.

Kozo Fuyutsuki stepped out of the shadows and in front of Gendo's desk as he rose from his seat. "You know what they will expect you to do with the child."

"That I do, old friend," Gendo said. "Once Unit-01 is in our posession the Child is of no importance and will be dealt with. Same as for the others."

"This will not bring Yui to you. Disposing of Shinji will perhaps push her further away and you may never control Unit-01 again." He watched Gendo leave, disappearing into the shadows and leaving him alone to speak to nothing but the darkness.

**OOO**

Misato stared out from the observation room at Units 02 and 04 as they were loaded underneath the Eva-sized carriers. The plug insertion point was possition to where the pilot had easy access from the carrier to the Eva in a split second decission. She growled and turned away to pick up her coffee. The sun was out and the temp was at least over a 100. She was happy to be inside the air-conditioning though. But the constant typing was beginning to get on her nerves and she turned to glare at Ritsuko, who was busy drowning herself in her work.

"Glare at me all you want, Misato, but I still have work to do," the good doctor said without looking to make eye contact with her college friend. "I have to get these done before Toji's next test with Unit-03. Its ready for a field test and will be launched later today to see how it handles. Not to mention the new power core we installed that should give him at least eleven minutes of power instead of five." She waited for a responce but got nothing. She stopped, her hands hovering over the keyes as she took a chance to look. She saw Misato was lost in thought, staring out into the distance. Ritsuko laid her hands down on either side of the keyboard. "Listen, I know its a little late but... I am sorry, Misato."

The Major turned. "For what?" she asked.

"For everything. I haven't been the friend I should be; I have put these children in danger without even caring and I showed Shinji those things without even bothering to brace him for it, but he did deserve the truth. You can hate me all you want but I did what at the time felt right but now..."

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Misato asked. her arms crossed with a glare directed at Ritsuko.

Ritsuko responded with a single name. "Toji."

Misato blinked. "Suzahara?"

The fake blonde looked to Misato. "Have you ever asked why he first signed up to be a pilot, Misato?" She shook her head. "He wanted his sister to get the best medical attention NERV could offer, in exchange for his services." She licked her lips and stared down at the keyboard. "He placed his life in our hands so his sister could be taken care of. Someone who knew as much as we do would see it as an equivalent exchange, or some sort of sacrifice."

"So how did he change you?" Misato said, narrowing her eyes.

Ritsuko glared. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Misato. Our relationship isn't like that. And you're one to talk. Don't forget, I had access to the video footage of our survalliance cameras. I've watched how you parade around your home with Shinji and Asuka around." She watched Misato blush. "And you call yourself a roll modal..."

"Can you stop now!"

"Anyway, after I was released the Commander ordered me to see to the MAGI's upgrades, the Eva's repairs, and to my added shock, the reconstruction of Unit-03. As an added bonus, I was to give the Fourth Child a new arm and leg. Something very new to me, but I had the means and a theoretical idea of how to do it." She leaned back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling. "The Commander was pushing me to hurry up so Toji had to not only be rebuilt with a new arm and leg but tested with an incomplete Unit-03. You can only imagine how bad that was with most of the torso completely destroyed and the worry of that Angel still being somewhere inside it, even after the decontamination. And Toji having to go through theorapy to walk and use his left arm again wasn't too easy either."

"How did you give him a new arm and leg?" Misato asked. "I've seen them and they look too human to be prostedic, dispite the difference in skin tone."

Ritsuko took a deep breath. "Given that Angels and humans are similar to a single point, and the Evas are Angels themselves to another point, I took a stab at the thought of creating an arm and leg similar to what the Eva's are made of." She watched as Misato was about to protest but held a hand up to silence her. "Let me explain. I didn't just go ahead with the idea, I did ask Toji first. I wasn't about to put that poor boy through anymore hell. But he had heard the news about Shinji and decided without hesitation to go along with the idea. He gets a new arm and leg and we get a pilot for Eva." Misato looked to the floor. "But during that time together I found myself liking the boy. He showed great courage and determination when recovering and though he hates Eva, his scores improved. Upon its completion, Toji showed signs of being a good pilot. His VR training was rivaled only by Asuka and Rei's."

"So what, you're saying if we had recuirted him before, he would have been a better pilot then the others?"

"Perhaps." She smiled. "During our sessions, he spoke of his little sister and how he hoped she was okay. Then just two days ago I looked up his sister and it turns out she is completely healed and has been worrying about her big brother. So, can you imagine what I did next?"

"What?"

"I canceled his sync test and gave him a surprise. He got to see his little sister again and with an added bonus, a friend of his accompanied her. From what I learned from the Section 02 reports, this girl was the eye candy for our young man and he was very happy with the meeting. Maya tolled me they spoke for at least two hours before his sister and the Horaki girl left."

"Hikari?"

Ritsuko blinked. "Oh. That's right you do know her."

"Of course I know her, she's Asuka's best friend."

"Well after that, he started his test and the results were very good. His score jumped two whole points and he beat his orriginal time for beating the simulated Third Angel attack. As a reward, I plan to take him out of the Geofront for some REAL freshair. This place has been a prison for him and the only thing he has ever complained about is the twitch in his left arm. I know he hates it down here."

"I think we're all starting to hate it down here. If not, already."

A hard knock came to the door. Without permission, the door swung open with Asuka and Mana walking through. Asuka was clad in her traditional plug-suit, hands on hips and a angry but determined look on her face. Mana blushed at Asuka's rudeness, her hands held behind her back. Her plug-suit was similar to Rei's in design, the colors being a dark blue with black trim and gray on the shoulder along with a red stripe around her under arms and around the collar.

Misato sighed, seeing Asuka was ready to leave. "Well, your Evas are being loaded onto the carriers so it won't be long till it is time to leave."

"It's about time!" Asuka said, her foot tapping away.

Mana frowned at Asuka, but looked to Misato. The older woman smiled at the new pilot. "Don't worry. You'll be safe with Asuka. Unit-01 might look scary but Shinji is a good boy. He won't hurt you."

Mana smiled and nodded her head. "Thank you, Major."

"Please, call me Misato. I don't like this job enough for people to call me that."

**OOO**

Toji stood face to face with Unit-03. He took in a deep breath and let it go. "Okay. Today, we're launching to the outside and we're going to take a test run, understand?" he said to the menacing former Angel. "You give me any problems, I'll let Shinji rip you apart again, got it?" The Eva didn't respond.

"Oh Toji!"

Toji spun to his left, seeing Maya Ibuki waving from the far end of the cage, along with two other female techies. He could feel his face turning red but shook it off and slowly approached the three. "Hey guys."

"Big day, huh Suzahara?" the brunett to the left of Maya said. The girl adjusted her glasses and smiled brightly.

"Yea, you get to take Unit-03 out for a spin, sort of speak," the blonde on the opposite side said.

"Heh, yea," he said, scrathing the back of his head. "Yea, as soon as Doctor Akagi arrives, right Maya?" he said, turning to the First Lieutenant.

"Rits...I mean, Doctor Akagi is over seeing the launch of Units 02 and 04. She won't be arriving until after the test has started."

"Oh..." Toji said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Well, I guess we should get to work then, huh?" he said with a small smile.

"Yep!" the two cheery techies said in unison before turning to walk off to their stations.

Toji couldn't help but follow their hips as the walked off the embilical platform. It wasn't till Maya let out a soft cough that he turned his attention away. His face burned red knowing he was caught. Maya giggled and patted him on the shoulder as she made her way to the control room. Toji watched her leave, his cheeks still burning. When she finally disappeared, he turned to Unit-03 once more. _I'm doing this to protect Mari. To protect dad, Kensuke...Hikari. My friends and family._ "Shinji won't have to do this alone anymore." He moved towards the metal stairs that leaded to his 'Throne of Souls'. "Take as long as you want Shinji. As fun as it might have been fighting along side you, I think you deserve a break. I'll take it from here."

Up in the control room, Maya sat at her station with the other techies, each going over their designated observations of Eva Unit-03 and the pilot.

"All systems show green."

"Connections confirmed."

"Passed boarderline and syncronization is at an even 50 and holding."

Maya nodded and activated the launch to send Unit-03 out into the Geofront to the testing area. Inside the Eva, Toji sat calmly, his eyes closed and focused on the task at hand. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was going to do this and he was going to do it good. He took in another deep breath but paused when he felt something odd in the back of his head. When it passed, he shook it off and stared ahead as he was greeted with the light of the open Geofront. He could feel the bolt locks release from his shoulder and arms and the launch harness retracted into the ground behind the Eva. Toji lifted his arm up, the Eva mimicing his movements and he watched its arm follow a close second. "Still too slow," he said to himself. "But it'll do."

"Say something, Toji?" Maya asked, her image appearing to his left.

"It was nothing. Lets get this over with so I can get some real air."

"Okay," Maya said with a smile. "First part of the test will be the Shuttle Run. Know how that goes?"

Toji nodded. "I get it. I just run to the end of the track, grab a brick or rock or something, run back, and repeat?"

"Something like that, but we have a truck at the end of the track. Wait, a brick?"

Toji grinned, scratching the back of his head. "Well, I used a brick. The coach kept getting onto me for that though."

"Ooookay."

Toji's grin faded as he moved the Eva into possition. The Eva hunched over, the trucks at the far end of the track, waiting for him to take them. All he needed was the cue to move. The left foot moved up into possition. Taking in another deep breath, he again recieved that odd feeling in his head. "What the hell..."

"Go!"

Without even thinking it, Toji pushed Unit-03 off and in an instant, the Eva was barrelling down the track towards the two trucks at the end while picking the left one as his first target. He drew closer with every thunderious step and when the truck was within reach, Toji felt something stab at the back of his head. He screamed out from the sudden pain and the Eva took a shoulder dive into the ground. He plowed over the trucks and off the track, smashing into the forest area around the Geofront.

The control room was lit with red and warning lables. The technicians were frantically trying to find the source of the problem till one spoke up. "Lt. Ibuki! We're detecting bio contamination inside the plug!"

"What!"

"Blue pattern confirmed. The Magi are saying the pattern is an exact match for the 13th Angel!"

Maya's face paled. "Oh no." She moved back to her console. "Eject plug now!"

Outside, the hatch to Unit-03 blew off and the plug was ejected from the Eva, its systems shutting down. The plug danced in the sky till it slowly descended to the earth. Inside, however, was a different story. Toji was lying in his seat, curled into a ball with his hands clutching his head. He rolled over as he fought whatever it was but he could feel himself loosing. Below him, deep at the bottom of the plug, a single red sphere with what looked like some sort of fungus was growing and stretching up the walls. When the fungus reached Toji's leg and the two touched, perhaps everyone in the Geofront could hear the poor boy scream.

**OOO**

The winds were strong and cool up on the mountain side, but not strong enough to knock over the hulking form that was slowly climbbing them. The lumbering form of Unit-01 stopped its climb up the mountain, slowly turning its head to the Eastern direction. It was odd, but Shinji could have sworn he heard someone calling him. Almost like a scream for help.

**OOO**

Ritsuko had long since thrown her shoes off so she could run faster. When she had heard the Angel alart go off, she immediately canceled the Eva launch and ordered Asuka and Mana down into the Geofront. The Two Eva's were already surrounding Unit-03, which laid completely still on the ground. Though it showed no signs of a threat, they kept their distance. Asuka was making sure not to be surprised this time.

Once Ritsuko reached the bridge, Maya quickly informed her of the situation. "We don't know what happened. All of a sudden there was a blue pattern detected inside the plug with Toji. Its the 13th ma'am!"

"Damn it!" Ritsuko shouted. "How did it survive? We had that thing decontaminated during recovery and reconstruction." She was ready to pull her hair out. "Oh God Toji, what am I going to do?"

Above, The commanders made their late appearance in their usual possitions with the Commander sitting at his place with the sub-commander behind him to his side. Like usual, he showed no signs of remorse or concern. "Status?"

_Bastard!_ "The test has been comprimised. An Angel was detected inside the plug and was ejected before it could spread to the Eva itself. The Magi say its pattern matches that of the 13th Angel."

"Why haven't you destroyed the plug?" he said causally.

"There could be a chance that he can be saved."

"Negative. At this point the pilote is no more. Order the remaining units to destroy the plug with the Angel inside."

"Asuka, Mana, do not follow such order," Misato said, entering the bridge and looking to the main screen. "If there is a chance to save the pilote I think we should take it." The raven haired major turned and glared up at the commander. "I have already dispatched a decontamination team to take care of it and to secure the pilot."

Gendo remained silent, locking eyes with the Major. Now was not a time for these games. "Are you challenging my orders, Major?"

"I'm challenging your judgement, Commander. If there is a way to save him then I am going to take it."

"My order stands."

"I won't follow them!"

"Then you will be arrested and confined to a cell for disobeying orders."

"Then so be it! I will not let him die without a fight. If there is a chance to save Toji I am going to take it."

**OOO**

Toji ran for dear life down the dark streets of Tokyo-03. The ground shook beneath him as he ran, the monster beinhd him getting closer and closer to him. He dove and hid behind the hood of a car, looking through its windows as the beast crawled across the ground on all fours. It looked like an Eva, but skinnier with spiny quills linning its arms, legs, and head which sported several black eyes, including one in the center of its chest and one on the stomach. Its mouth opened and released a hissing roar. Its tallon-like fingers scraped the ground as it searched for the boy, green siliva hitting the ground and eating away at the street as it let out another hiss. Toji watched it slowly pass, looking down another street as it continued its search. Once it turned down the street, Toji took off running again. He had to get some help. But none of the buildings looked familiar and he couldn't remember where the Geofront emergancy entrances were located.

Another roar caught his attention and alarted him that the Angel knew his location. Hew ran as fast as his legs would let him till he felt the monster's hand wrap around him and lift him off the ground. He stared in horror as the monster lifted him up to its face, a stale smell of its breath hitting his face. He felt like he was going to throw up. Then he felt the pain was the Angel was beginning to infect him. His skin bubbled with thick veins as the infection began to spread throughout his body, and due to this connection he could hear the Angel speak. "JOIN." It was like he didn't hear the voice, but felt it. He felt the veins running up his neck, his face, and then his mind. Toji screamed in pure agony as the Angel latched and clawed at his mind. Images danced around the city on huge screens that revealed Toji's whole life like some sick TV show. The Angel hissed and roared, taking in all the information it thought it needed. Information of the Geofront, the city, things it could not get from the shadow of Adam. It probed deeper, causing more and more pain to the Fourth Child with each violation.

Toji stared up at the sky, watching the screens as they passed over the city. Tears ran down from his eyes when he saw the last image of his mother. A day he had forgotten so long ago. It wa the day she died from her illness. It was something the doctors had never encountered before and had no way of treating. It wasn't painful, but it weakened her body's defences at a rapid pace. Within a month, she had died, but not before telling him to take care of his little sister, and that she would always watch over him. "M...mom..."

The Angel was so wrapped up in its absorbtion of knowledge and fusing the boy to its own being, it never saw the massive black fist collide with its face. Toji, freed from the Angel's grasp was now falling towards the streets below, but was caught in the massive hand that had struck down the Angel. The veins began to disappear as he looked up at the face of the one thing he never thought would save him; Eva Unit-03. The former Angel stared down at him before glancing at the true Angel. The monster was striaghtening itself up, all of its eyes focusing on Unit-03. The Eva let out a low growl before lowering Toji to the street. He glanced back and forth between the two, his mind racing with questions that he had no answers to. Once Toji was safe on the ground, Unit-03 stood upright and charged at the Angel...

To Be Continued

**OOO**

Ha! Thought I was dead did you? Well, you were wrong! Sorry it took so freaking long to get this done. And man, the cliff hanger! Oh God what was I thinking? Someone's going to hunt me down and burn me for this I know it! Oh well, its getting good huh? And look1 It was longer then the first two chapters. Told you I'd make the chapters longer.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own Eva. Never have and never will. Most of the characters don't belong to me either. I might make one or two up, maybe even more, but you guys out there know who belongs to who. So, on with the story.

Enjoy.

Chapter04

The first thing Toji realised was the hospital ceiling. It was beginning to feel way to familiar for him now. He sat up slowly, stopping just as pain registered in his left arm and leg. He paniced, fearing that he had once again lost his limbs. He looked to see his arm was there, but was completely covered in bandages. His leg was the same. He blinked, remembering the Angel had tried to infect him and Unit-03 saved him...but what happened after that? He blinked as he found himself lost and unable to remember what had happened. So lost, that he never noticed the girl sitting to his right. He blinked again when he heard the girl give a soft cough to get his attention. To his surprise it was Rei who was sitting next to his bed. He blinked once more (okay, the blinking stops here. Sorry) a few times before he believed it was really her sitting there. "Ayanami? What are you doing here?"

Rei sat perfectly still, her hands resting in his lap as she stared at the Fourth Child. "Dr. Akagi requested that I keep watch over you till you recovered from the surgery."

"Surgery?"

Rei nodded her head. "Correct. The Angel's infection had to be removed from your artificial arm and leg before the contamination became worse." She blinked. "The surgery was a success, aside from the scaring left over from the contamination. The rest of your body came out unharmed."

Toji lifted his arm, ignoring the small amount of pain that was registered. "I'm alive though. How is that possible? It was right in my face when it attacked."

Rei sat quietly watching Toji try and remember the events that took place. But she herself knew all too well what happened within the confines of the entry plug...

**OOO**

_Rei was calm and collected as she watched the black Eva take a dive, its entry-plug soaring through the air and slowly descend to the ground below. She had long since felt Bardiel's pressance rise from within the confines of the plug. She could feel something within herself as she pondered on what actions would be taken to defeat the angel. With Pilot Suzahara inside, he would most likely be infected by the time any actions were made to rescue him. There was a chance however, if his will was strong enough, perhaps he could hold off the Angel's assult. Asuka could not hold her own against the Fifteenth due to her mental instability, but Suzahara was stronger in many ways then he let others know about. But he would not last long, even with his own strength. Rei's thoughts drifted to Shinji, and how he would feel on the situation. "He would act," she said to herself._

_Knowing Shinji would be highly upset if something were to happen to Suzahara, Rei closed her eyes and concentraited on her AT-Field. Using the part of her angel side that allowed her to connect with all humans, she stretched her mind out to the plug, hoping to make contact with Suzahara to at least aid him in his struggle, but she was surprised to find that there was another pressance besides the pilot and the Angel. But alas, that pressance too was not strong enough, even with the aid of Suzahara. As she contimplated on another move, she felt something. It was far away and very faint, but it was there. Rei's eyes snapped open as she realised who and what it was. "Shinji." She clossed her eyes again, harder this time. She felt her connection to Suzahara shattered by the Angel, but quickly began stretching her field as far and wide as she could. The strain was too much, her body collapsing to the floor but she held on. Her mind crossed the ocean waters, the grass lands and forest of the mainland, and eventually crossing the mountains and valleys till the image of Unit-01 was seen climbing a hill. As her mind drew in closer, Unit-01 snapped around and Rei could see Shinji looking directly into her eyes..._

**OOO**

"Rei?" Toji asked. The girl had all of a sudden zoned out and looked lost in deep thought. "Hey, Ayanami?" The girl blinked once before turning her gaze down to Toji. "You okay? You look tired."

Rei nodded her head. "I am. I will leave to inform Dr. Akagi that you have awaken."

Toji watched the blue haired enigma stand and walk towards the door. "Rei!" The girl paused, looking back at the pilot. "Th-thanks. It means a lot that you stuck around. You're a good friend." He watched her nod and turn to the door, missing the small blush. He watched her leave, the door closing slowly behind her. Toji fell back on the bed, staring out the window to his left. The scenary outside was nice, showing no signs of his botched testing and struggle with the Angel within. "Must be on another part of the Geofront." He listened to the silence of the room, aside from the steady beeping from the machines around him. He continued to stare out the window, listening to his soft breathing. His eye began to twitch. He looked around the room finding nothing to keep himself entertained with. He growled. "God I'm going to be so bored here!"

**OOO**

Ritsuko walked lightly down the corridor, stopping at the only cell that had a guard. He nodded when she presented her ID and stepped aside, telling her she had ten minutes. The door opened and she entered, looking back as the door closed behind her. She looked into the dark room, taking in the shape of her friend sitting on the single cot that was against the wall. The Major looked into the eyes of the doctor, neither saying a word. Ritsuko was the first to look away as she approached, taking a seat next to her friend. Again, silence.

After what might have been two minutes, Misato was the first to speak. "How's Toji?"

Ritsuko nodded her head. "He's fine. Resting as we speak. Rei is keeping watch over him till he wakes up."

"Is Toji..."

"No. He's healthy, though his artificial arm and leg are scared and deformed due to the surgery. It seems his natrual body had built some sort of immunity to the first Angel attack, but his prostetics had none, and took most of the infection like how Eva-00 did when the Thirteenth started to infect it." She let out a sigh. "He's just as lucky as Shinji when it comes to these things."

Misato nodded in agreement. Again, silence fell upon the two friends before Misato again broke it. "What happened, Ritsuko?"

The faux blonde looked up at the dark ceiling. "We don't know. Everything went crazy when we detected that second AT-field..."

**OOO**

_The alarms sounded once more, the bridge bunnies scurrying to their posts to try and figure out what was going on. Maya was the first to speak up. "Ma'am! Second AT-Field detected!" All arguing parties turned to young techy who stared in horror. "It's emmiting from Unit-03!"_

_"Is it another Angel, or the same?" Fuyutsuki asked, moving closer to look down._

_"Negative! It's the Eva's!" Misato stared at the screen, confusion running across her face. Ritsuko moved to the computer, her figners performing their dance across the keyboard to see if there was a flaw, but there was none. The AT-Field was coming from Unit-03._

_"Ma'am! Another AT-Field detected!" shouted Shigeru. "But its coming from within HQ!"_

_Makoto sat upright in his seat, looking to the other male techy. "Another Angel!?"_

_"AT-Field is being directed towards the entry plug!" Maya shouted, returning to her possition as Ritsuko stepped back. "The Angel's and the unknown AT-Fields have made contact!"_

_"What the hell is this? Is this Third Impact..." Misato said._

_"Unknown AT-Field redirecting out of the Geofront!"_

_"What!?"_

_Gendo remained calm. You couldn't say the same thing about Fuyutsuki though, who was leaning so far over he looked ready to fall down to the bunnies possition down below. Nothing was making sense. Everything they were used to or learned from the previouse battles were not helping at all. Asuka and Mana remaind outside, looking too and from the fallen Eva and the entry plug. Asuka could hear all the frantic screams and shouts between the adults but couldn't figure out what was going on. Mana was equally confused since this was her frist Angel attack, and had expected to do a little more then to just stand around in her Eva. But nothing prepared them for the new, more equally strange action that was about to follow._

_"The second AT-field is gone...wait we're getting something from outside the Geofront!" Maya shouted. "Its even outside the city!"_

_"Great, what now!?" Makoto shouted._

_"The MAGI are tracking down the source of..." Maya's face paled as she read the information that ran across her screen. "Oh God, the signal is coming from the mainland. MAGI have confirmed its an AT-Field. Field is recognised to be from Evangelion Unit-01!"_

_Ritsuko paled along with Fuyutsuki. Gendo remained emotionless as usual, but if you looked close, you could see his eyebrow arch slightly. Misato's knees went limp and she went down, staring at the overhead screen of the entry plug. Makoto removed himself from his station and kneeled down to Misato, trying to shake her from her daze. Asuka, who had heard them shout something about Unit-01, was asking very rudely as to what the hell was going on. Mana of course was as confused as ever. But just as everything went crazy, the alarms stopped as all AT-Fields had vanished. Everyone looked to the main screen and watched as the hatch blew off. The pilot, Toji Suzahara, was seen slowly rising from the plug with what looked to be tentacles wrapped around his body. Connected to them, hanging from his left arm, was a large, shiney red orb. All knew exactly what it was; the Angel's core._

_Ritsuko could feel the tears building up in her eyes as she watched the boy scream. She couldn't hear it, but she could only imagine that scream as if she was standing right there, only a few feet away. She wanted to look away, but couldn't. And she was glad that she didn't, for if she did, she would have missed seeing Toji place both his hands on the core, seemingly trying to remove it. The boy tore free of the tentacles that had latched on to him with perhaps strength given to him by his replacement arm, cracked the core in his hand till it burst into pieces. And for a long time, Toji stood still, leaning out over the entry plug, his hand stretching out to nothing. His body then fell limp over the edge of the plug and then slammed into the ground, lying lifeless on his side..._

**OOO**

"Shinji helped him, didn't he?" Misato asked. From the corner of her eye she watched her friend nod. "How? He's somewhere in the mainland and he somehow 'helped' Toji fight off the Angel."

"I think Rei had something to do with it," Ritsuko said.

Misato looked to Ritsuko from the corner of her eye. "Rei?"

After showing Misato the truth behind Rei and Eva, she was beginning to come out with the truth much easier then before. She gave a nod. "Yes. It was probably her AT-Field that had first attacked the Angel, but when she couldn't aid in it's defeat, she probably sought help from the one person who she knew could help; Shinji."

"But how!?" Misato snapped. "Shinjis nowhere near us! And to do something like using an AT-Field at that level..."

"My only theory is that Shinji somehow used an attack similar to the Fifteenth Angel. How, I don't know. If he was here, I'd run some tests but I can only guess. Remember what I said about his abilities with the Eva increasing because of his anger towards his father, and perhaps the rest of NERV?" Misato nodded. "Well, maybe its gotten as far as Shinji being on equal ground as say, Matoko Nagisa?"

Misato narrowed her eyes. "Are you implying that Angel had something to do with this? Even if she's dead?"

Ritsuko paused. "Maybe..."

"Times up," the guard said. The cell door opened up, the soldier aiming his gun inside. "Time to leave, doctor."

Ritsuko nodded and stood up, turning from her friend. "I'm going to check on Toji. I'll send him your reguards."

"Ritsuko," Misato called. The blonde stopped and looked back. "Don't let anyone get near him. Many may see him as a threat now because of the attack. The commanders might even do something."

Ritsuko nodded and left Misato to sit alone in her cell. As she left the cell, she stopped when she took notice of the First Child standing down the hall. She blinked just before a frown appeared on her face. Her eyes narrowed in anger as she marched down the hall only to stop in front of the young girl. "I thought I tolled you to stay with Toji," she said.

"Pilot Suzahara is awake, Dr. Akagi," she said in her usual tone.

"That's beside the point. I placed Toji under your watch so nothing would happen to him." She sighed and marched pass the young angel. "God I only hope nothing has happened to him." She bit her lip, thinking on some other things that could be happening within NERV, mostly involving the Commander. The commitee wouldn't like the idea that the boy had come so close to being contaminated by an Angel that should already be dead. Perhaps they would take steps to insure he wasn't a threat to the scenario, or the Commander might have something else in mind. She hadn't seen Gendo since the Angel alart and was curious as to what he was doing. She looked back to Rei. "Return to Toji and make sure no one gives him anything unless I had authorized it, understood. That means the Commander as well." Rei stood silent as her mind considered the idea of defying the Commander, but gave a nod and walked away. Ritsuko took out her cellphone and dialed Maya's number. "Maya, its Ritsuko. Listen, is Unit-03 cleaned and repaired?" she paused to listen. "Good. Have Unit-03 moved over to the weapons development cages." Pause. "Yes, I know that's where we don't usually station the Eva's, but its important. I have a bad feeling something is going to happen soon and we need to be prepared, and that means having Toji and Unit-03 ready." A small smile began to spread across her face. "Yes, you're correct. So get a good team together to re-fit the F-Type equipment for Unit-03."

**OOO**

Elsewhere, high in the sky, Asuka sat in the transport carrier staring out over the ocean waters far below. She breathed heavily through her nose as her mind drifted on the events that had taken place. The Angel attacking was a surprise to everyone, but seeing Toji climbing and and crush the core in his bare hands was more surprising. They wouldn't answer any of her questions when it came to the discussion of Unit-01. Instead, they strapped Unit-02 to the carrier and just kicked her off, saying that finding said unit was more important now since they had gathered enough information to pin-point where exactly it was located. _Stupid, asshole commander,_ Asuka thought, anger easily displayed on her face. _Could have at least let us get cleaned up for this mission. Now I'm going to smell like LCL till we make our first landing._

Mana of course, sat quietly on the opposite side of her fellow pilot. She kept glancing over at the firery redhead, wondering what could be going through her mind. She could see the girl's reflection in the window and decided against it. She looked angry and didn't want to invoke her wrath. Looking out the same window as Asuka, she watched the other aircraft move through the air, her Eva suspended underneath on what looked to be a cross. Its armor gleamed in the fading light of the sun as it began its descent in the far horizon. "It looks okay," Asuka said suddenly. Mana glanced over at her fellow pilot, surprised she would speak to her at all.

"Um, what?"

"Your Eva. It's not that bad. Too bad it looks like that Stooge's."

"Thanks," then added quietly, "I guess." Again, silence fell between the two pilots. Mana's eye darted around the small room before looking to Asuka and said, "So, um . . . tell me about Pilot Ikari." Mana leaned back as far as she could when Asuka turned to face her. Asuka seemed lost in her own thoughts, trying to come up with something in responce to what Mana had said.

Asuka looked back out the window, resting her chin in her left palm. "Shinji Ikari. I first met him on the one of the carriers that was escourting myself and Unit-02. I half expected he would look a little more decent; bigger, stronger, smarter, and maybe even better looking then my guardian Kaji. But instead, I came in contact with this scrany, studdering, weak pervert that never stood up for himself and was always being pushed around. Especially by me. He did whatever anyone tolled him to do so he would get praised by his father, the Commander."

"Wow. I had no idea he was like that."

"Oh yea." Asuka paused, as if to think about what to say next. She inhaled through her nose and continued to stare out the window. "But underneath that weak little pervert, there was something else I never paid attention to. He was smarter then I thought he was. He had kept our home clean, cooked for me and Misato and took care of our laundry. He piloted like it was second nature and had a starting snycronization above 40 percent on his first launch, and that was during the 3rd Angel battle. He saved my life, diving into a volcano with no protection to the Eva and defied orders to do it." Asuka looked away from the window and stared down at the floor. "But he never asked for anything in return, at least as far as I knew or was concerned with. He never tried to hurt me or anyone else. He did his best to make those around him happy, even came close to dying just so others wouldn't get hurt."

"If he's so great, why did he run away? Why steal Unit-01?" Mana looked out the window. "And how? I thought Unit-01 didn't have an S2 engine. How is it running on its own power?"

Asuka said nothing but her thoughts ran rapid. _Why did you run, Shinji?_ she thought.

**OOO**

_"Misato!" Asuka shouted as she ran towards the arrested Major. Misato cuffed and forced to walk ahead, looked back at the running redhead. "Misato what's going on? Someone said something about Shinji!"_

_"They've found Shinji's present location, Asuka," Misato said, staggering as she was pushed forward._

_"Do not speak, Major," a armed agent said, pushing Misato again._

_Misato, fed up with being pushed around, shoved hard into one guard and kicked the other one away. She ran fast to Asuka, nearly falling to her knees to only be caught by the young pilot. She looked into Asuka's saphire eyes. "Listen to me. You mustn't let them hurt Shinji. They've pushed him so far..." The guards were quick to recover and were already pulling Misato back. "Bring him back, Asuka! Bring him home!"_

_"Why'd he run! I want to know! Tell me!"_

**OOO**

"I bet it had something to do with the Fifth Child," Mana commented.

Asuka blinked and turned to rookie pilot. "What?"

Mana turned to Asuka. "The Fifth Child. I had asked Ritsuko about Shinji once before and she said something about the Fifth Child."

Asuka was curious now. She already knew Mana was the Sixth child, and had heard something about the Fifth child dying during the battle with the Seventeenth angel, but no one spoke of Shinji and the Fifth Child being close. "What'd she say?"

"Something about she and him meeting and spending the day together. We were interrupted when the Commander called us in."

Asuka looked away, a little disappointed. She had been hoping for something a little better then that. But thne her thoughts moved to why they hadn't informed her of anything. A fellow pilot is dead, but no one bothered to explain what exactly happened. And how did this new pilot effect Shinji so much, that he would tear his way out of NERV and run away; even going as far as to SWIM across the ocean to get to the mainland. "There's something going on. They're not telling us something."

Mana glanced at Asuka as the conversation got serious. "Think it has something to do with the Fifth Child?"

"You said she spent the day with him..." Asuka back peddeled in her mind as she recalled what Mana had said. "Wait you said she?" Mana nodded. "You mean the Fifth Child was a girl?"

Again she nodded. "Yea. Matoko Nagisa, Fifth Child."

"What could they have possibly done the whole time?" Asuka asked.

Mana arched a brow, then grinned evilly. "Something wrong? You think they did something naughty?"

Asuka blushed. "I do not! You pervert! Why would I think such a thing?" She looked away with her arms crossed. "For that matter, why would I care if Shinji and the Fifth did something? If she was interrested in him in the first place, then she has no taste at all."

"Didn't sound like that when you were describing Shinji. Almost sounded like you liked him."

Asuka stood and threw her arms down at her side, glaring at the giggling Mana. "Did not!"

**OOO**

_Toji could only watch as Unit-03 and the Angel struggled with one another. He growled as Unit-03 was quickly being overpowered, thrown to the side and into one of the fake buildings that made up his mind. He narrowly avoided some of the falling rocks that had made up the building's wall. Turning its attention from the fallen Unit, the Angel looked down at Toji, reaching out to take him up into its hand once more. Unit-03 was quick to stop it, wrappign its arm around the Angel's neck and dragging it back from Toji. The Angel, since gathering enough knowledge from Toji, drove its elbow into the ribs the Eva, and kicked it back once its arms were loose. The Eva swung its fist, but the Angel easily dodged it and drove it's palm into the right temple, followed by another shot to the throat._

_The boy cringed in pain when he saw the blows that were being made to his Eva. "It's using the judo classes I took a few years back to help it fight," he said. Toji grabbed the side of his head. "It's using me to fight Unit-03!" He looked up in time to see Unit-03 thrown to the ground. He growled in anger and ran towards the battle, stopping just next to the Eva. "Hey! Unit-03!" The Eva ignored him, climbing to its feet to face the Angel again before being knocked back into another building. Toji ran forward, narrowly avoiding debree from falling on him. "Hey! Damn it listen to me!" The Angel was upon the Eva, it's hands wrapped around the Eva's neck. "Listen to me, you stupid piece of junk! Let me fight!" Again, no responce accept the sound of the Angel's fingers tightening around the Eva's neck. "Please! Let me fight! Let me help you, you stupid over sized piece of...!" Toji closed his eyes and ran to throw a punch into the Eva's metal hide, when he felt his fist hit something soft. He opened his eyes to see the Angel fly across the block, away from him. "Wait, what the...?" He glanced down and around himself, seeing he was once more in the entry plug, snuggly placed on the Thrown of Souls._

_Toji smiled, breathing heavily as he felt the pressure that was once around the Eva's neck vanish. The LCL was warm and comforting, almost welcoming to him. "Okay...okay..." he looked to the Angel, slowly lifting Unit-03 up to its feet._

_Bardiel shook its head, feeling its spongy organic jaw twitch with pain. It looked to Adam's shadow and found the black Eva once again on its feet, but its stance was different. The back was straight and fists were balled to dish out heavy punishment. The Angel charged ahead anyway with a punch, only to have it blocked. Its second punch was caught in Unit-03's hand. Toji pulled it close, the forehead of Unit-03 driven into the Angel's face. A gargeled hiss was let out and Bardiel staggered back. Its multiple eyes locked on the Eva, it's hand signaling the Angel to come at it again. It almost looked like it was smiling._

_"Pay back's a bitch, ain't it?" Toji remarked. As if to respond to Toji's remark, the Angel shook slightly and it's size seemed to double. Toji's smile faded as the Angel not only grew taller, but its muscle mass also seemed to grow. "Oh man...it's Hulking out on me. Must have dove into the comic book side of my brain. Remind me to thank Kensuke for checking out those Amiercan comics."_

_The two charged at one another, but upon collision, the Angel brought a powerful fist down on Unit-03's head. It's knees buckled and the Eva fell onto them. The ground beneath its feet and knees had cracked and broken under the force. Even the glass from the surrounding building's were broken from the impact. Toji felt like someone had brought a hammer down onto his head. He looked up to see the Angel grab him by the head and was quickly intruduced to the Angel's knee. The ground beneath him disappeared and Toji could only see the sky above, which flashed an orange light. He was caught in the air, and landed in a slump against something._

_Unit-03 turned its head to look back to see a single red eye staring back at him. Unit-00 helped the surprised Toji and Unit-03 up to its feet and quickly moved to the advancing Angel. Unit-00 sprinted towards the Angel, just ducking under a powerful fist that was swung at its single eye. Unit-00 stopped and turned to bring a kick to the Angel's spine. Bardiel staggered and turned to attack, but was struck in the back again by Unit-03. Toji didn't care how Unit-00 came to be in his mind, only that it was here now and helping him win the fight._

_Knocked to the ground, Bardiel was unable to defend itself from the dual attacks. Unit-00 and Unit-03 were on top of its hulking form, pounding away at its body with everything they had, but getting a well placed foot onto Unit-03, it kicked Toji and his Eva away. Now alone with the blue Evangelion, Bardiel grabbed it by the head and slammed it into the ground. With its grip tight on the skull of Unit-00, the Angel rose to its feet and began to apply even more pressure._

_Toji shook his head and looked up to see Unit-00 thrashing in the grip of the Angel. "No!" He stood and charged, but was too late to stop the Angel from copeltely crushing Unit-00's head. The blue body of Unit-00 disappeared in a bright orange light, leaving Toji alone once more with the Angel. "Damn you!" He only hoped Ayanami wasn't somehow linked to that._

_Angel and Eva, once more, stared at one another. The large, slouching form of the Angel hissed and snarled as it stared at it's prey. Unit-03 remained emotionless as Rei, but Toji on the other hand was trying to come up with a way to end the situation. Bardiel took a step forward, causing Toji to react and step back. The Angel grinned and took another step. Toji moved back again, preparing for any sudden attacks. The Angel moved agian, but stopped. It stood silent for a second before Toji could see blood slowly dripping from the Angel's mouth. He watched on till something errupted from the Angel's chest. A glowing red orb fell from the Angel's wound, smashing into the ground. It bounced once before slowly rolling down the street towards Toji, stopping just at his feet. He blinked, confused at the situation in front of him, and looked up to the Angel._

_Bardiel stared down at its core lying on the ground at the feet of Unit-03, then down at its chest where the core once lye, seeing only a blood covered hand protruding from it like a new born alien from the movie Alein. _(Come on, you'd think the same thing, right?)_ The Angel looked back over it's shoulder, only to stare into a set of glowing white eyes and a purple command horn. The sky of memories changed from those of Toji's, to those of the Angel's short life and they were all filled with the images of a purple Evangelion. Bardiel shuddered again as it was lifted off the ground on Unit-01's arm. Unit-03 remained motionless as the Angel was turned away, letting Toji see Unit-01 in its full fury. With unmatched strength, Unit-01 flung the Angel towards Unit-03. Toji reacted and stepped to the side, letting the Angel pass him and continue down the long stretch of road till it impact the building at the far end._

_Toji shuddered, and Unit-03 mimiced his reaction. He slowly turned his head to Unit-01 as it just stood there, staring down at him with its mouth open. Its chest heaved as it took in the air around them. The Angel had once been frightening to him, but the site of Unit-01 and how easily it handled the Angel was the most terrifying thing he had ever seen. He could feel something else too. It was like the Eva was just as scared as he was. "I can't blame you. I mean, Unit-01's the one who tore you apart." Unit-01 moved. "Awe!" He flinched, shielding his face from harm. He looked between his shields to see Unit-01 run past and slam hard into the Angel, putting it down to the ground with ease._

_As the two wrestled in the one sided fight with Unit-01 being the winner, the innitial shakes from the fight caused the red orb to roll towards Uni-03 again. Toji looked down at the orb and realisation came to him. He remembered his training, when it came to fighting the VR Third Angel. "Ritsuko said to aim for the core." Unit-03 reached down, taking the orb in hish ands. He isntantly felt pain as the orb began to infect the hands. Veins of infection began to run up from his hands and up his arms. "N...no...not again!" Fighting back the pain, Toji began to appply the pressure onto the core, watching the orb crack under the strain. The world around him began to change as the cracks grew. The world inside his mind would change from the city to the grassy field outside NERV HQ. He would see Unit-03 in the distance with Unit-02 and 04 standing over it. He looked at the orb again and put in more till a piece splintered off. After that, the core completely crumbled between Unit-03's hands._

_Toji's world was empty. He stood silently in a field of orange flowers with nothing but a cool wind and clear blue sky. He looked down to see he was in a different body, much like that of Unit-03. He looked over to the side and there stood Shinji in a similar situation with his body replaced by Unit-01's. His back was turned but to Toji's surprise, there was a girl standing behind Shinji, her arms wrapped tightly around his waste. She wore the girl's school uniform. Her hair was a snow white and as she looked back at Toji, he could see her eyes were just as red as Rei's. Even weirder was that there was a woman standing just to the side, her hand resting on the girl's shoulder. She had short brown hair, lighter then Shinji's. Her back was turned away so Toji couldn't see her face. All he could see of her was her legs since her lab coat blocked most of his view._

_Toji stepped towards them, his arm stretched out to them. He called out to Shinji, but his voice went unheard. He called again, but was silenced when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck and pull him into a tight enbrace from behind. He stiffened, thinking the fight with the angel wasn't over, but then a memory flashed in his mind; one he had not seen in so long. The arms were familiar to him, and brought so much warmth and love to him, he wanted to cry. As he felt those tears come, the world began to melt away into darkness..._

**OOO**

Rei sat silently looking out the hospital window, staring down into the darkened forest of the Geofront. Night had come and Toji was fast asleep in the hospital bed. She was preforming the duty that was asked of her from Dr. Akagi and was making sure no harm was to come to the young pilot. Her thoughts were directed to the wayward pilot that they searched for till Toji stirred in his bed and awoke to Rei sitting in his room. Rei stood and approached, seeing Toji sit up with his good hand resting against his temple. "Pilot Suzahara?"

Toji blinked and stared at Rei, wondering what she was doing there. His mind drifted to the image of the Unit-00 that had helped him fight off the Angel. "Rei, I want to ask you something, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to." Rei gave a nod for him to gone on. Toji took a deep breath. This was going to sound weird. "Did you help me defeat the Angel?" He waited for a resonce, but Rei said nothing, and continued to stare at him. "The thing is, when the Angel was in my head, I was fighting it with Unit-03, but it knew my every move. Then another Eva should up; yours. Your old Unit-00." Again, Rei said nothing. Toji gave a light chuckle. "It's crazy I know. Sorry if I sound weird, I just wanted to ask."

Rei looked away, turning her gaze out the window. "I wasn't the only one who assisted you, Suzahara."

Toji gasped. He watched the side of Rei's face as she stared out at nothing. "How...how'd you do it..."

"You saw Shinji, did you not?"

Toji blinked. She was avoiding his question. He turned away and stared down at his bed sheets. "Yea he was there, but he wasn't alone."

Rei looked to him again. "What do you mean?"

"There were two others there with him. A girl that looked like you and an older woman. It was weird. I tried to talk to him, but someone grabbed me and pulled me away." Toji, at remembering the feeling of those arms wrapped around him, circled his arms around his chest. He grit his teeth. "I know who's arms they were, but I couldn't get a name or a face!" He tightened his embrace. "Who was it?"

"Your mother, Toji."

Both Rei and Toji turned to the door, seeing Ritsuko standing at the open door. She was looking off to the side, as if ashamed to look at the boy. With a huff, she turned to Rei. "Leave us. I wish to speak with Toji alone."

Rei faced Ritsuko. "Are you sure?" She spoke as if there was more to those three words then what Toji could guess.

Ritsuko knew what Rei was refereing too and nodded. "Yes, I am. Now, go get some rest. We've got a lot of preparing to do for the next few days."

Rei turned to Toji, and gave him a bow followed by a 'goodbye' before leaving. She gave Ritsuko one more glance before leaving the room, closing the door behind her and leaveing the two alone. Ritsuko pulled a chair over to bedside, refusing to look Toji in the eye till she was ready to speak. She could feel the boy's eyes burning into her but not with fury, but with curiousity. When she looked up, she saw she was wrong. He did look furious. "What did you say about my mother?" Ritsuko bit her lip. She knew this was going to be hard.

**OOO**

Somewhere, far away and shrouded in darkness, Shinji lye on his back. He couldn't see, but he could hear and feel. He was lying down on something soft. He could feel a gentle, warm breeze blowing over his body. But there was something else. A humming sound. Someone was singing, or at least humming a song. Who was it? His eyes cracked open, and he could see the bright sun peering in through the branches high above. He took a deep breath and let it out, only to have it caught in his throat as a voice and unfamiliar language. He tilted his head back to see the face a girl, very attractive girl, staring down at him. Her gray eyes looked to the sides of his face, her short cropped blonde hair swaying with the wind. She spoke again, and at first, Shinji couldn't understand it but as she repeated the same thing, and this was weird even for him, but he began to understand her. "...ou okay?"

Shinji blinked, letting go of the breath he held. "What?" he spoke back. His eyes widened as he finally registered that he spoke back in the same language, and said language was...Russian?

"I asked if you were okay?"

To Be Continued . . .

OH GOD! I finally update this damn thing. Sorry to those who are actually interrested in this fic. I've been occupied with returning to my art and models and other priorities of life which suck, like a job for instantce.

But for a little bit of a taste for the next chapter, here's that British narrator chick from Guyver!

_Shinji, found in the hands of a young girl, sinks into a new life of quiet solitude, while his mind rages on with the thoughts of the past that haunt him. His dreams scratch at him as he replays the events he wishes to forget, along with the three special words said from a girl who's blood stains his hands. All the while, Toji grips with the knowledge that his mother resides within Unit-03, and Asuka continues her search for the wayword boy who has elluded NERV and Seele for so long._


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Eva. Never have and never will. Most of the characters do not belong to me either. I might make one or two up, maybe even more, but you guys out there know who belongs to whom. So, on with the story.

Enjoy.

Chapter05

_Shinji stared down at the lake, the resting place of the fallen Evangelion Unit-00, Sixthteenth Angel, and the Rei Ayanami he KNEW. He looked over the water, seeing how still it was. There was no wind, no sound. The birds were gone, scarred to come to this place of death. There were not even any bugs flying around. Why he had come there, he wondered. Ritsuko had taken him and Misato to the depths of Terminal Dogma the night before, and seeing the truth of Rei, learning the truth about his mother and learning about the Evas, he found he could do nothing. Misato was gone, disappearing into NERV to do...whatever it was she was doing. Rei was alive... but she was not the Rei he knew, or cared for. She was different. She was... something else._

_The image of her sisters came rushing back to him. When they had first opened their eyes upon hearing him speak Rei's name, they all turned and stared at him. Their eyes burned into his soul, and they began to laugh. Their laughter was so haunting, it seemed to continue even after their bodies dissolved and fell apart in that chamber. Shinji hand rose to his head, the laughter continuing to grow. "Shut up..." he spoke, shaking his head a little, but the laughing did not stop. The images continued to climb to the surface. "Stop..." His other hand reached to his temple, the laughing continued to grow. He fell to a knee, his hands gripping at his skull. "Shut up!" The images seemed to surround him, circling him, drowning him. Decaying Rei's drew closer; the laughing continuing even after their mouths had fallen from the rest of their rotting skulls. "SHUT UP!" Shinji finally screamed, his hands thrown down at his sides as he screamed at the heavens. The water even rippled slightly at his little section of the lake's edge. He fell to his knees completely exhausted, tears running down his face as he began to believe he was truly alone. The only person he could rely on was Asuka and she was missing. "Asuka..." It was almost painful to mention her name, but he needed her._

_"First you tell me to shut up, though I haven't spoken yet," an unfamiliar voice spoke from behind the sobbing boy. Shinji spun around, staring up the hill at what appeared to be a girl of perhaps the same age as him, or older. She stood in a path of the setting sun, her hands clasped together in front and wore what appeared to be a school uniform to his school. "And now you call me by the Second Child's name?" She stepped down the hill slowly, her image becoming more and more clearer as she left the path of the sun. Her hair was untamed mess of gray, and her eyes gave off a startling shade of red just like Rei's. Seeing these very eyes forced Shinji to back away in fear, crawling backwards into the lake._

_The girl stopped her approach, tilting her head slightly. "Are you afraid of me, Shinji Ikari?" she asked. She watched him shake his head slowly. "There is no need. I assure you, I bring you no harm. I came all this way to see you after all."_

_Shinji blinked. "What… you came here? To see me?"_

_The girl nodded. "I had heard so many wondrous things about you, Shinji Ikari. And I will admit I am not disappointed in seeing you, though I had hoped you were a little less wet upon our first encounter."_

_Shinji blushed at the comment. He looked down at himself, seeing he had backed down into the water far enough for his arms, lower back, and rear end to become completely soaked. When he looked up, the mysterious girl had cleared the distance between them without ever making a sound, her small, frail looking hand extended for him to take it. Shinji was hesitant at first, but his right hand slowly reached out and took hers, allowing her to help pull him to his feet…_

OOO

Ritsuko looked over the data, before lifting her gaze up to the commanders, waiting for her to begin her report. "The MAGI have concluded that the Angel core was in fact a copy of the original Thirteenth Angel." She approached Gendo's desk, lying the report down in front of him. She stepped back, watching him take it and open its contents to examine the data for himself. His stature, even in the dim light of his office, was slacking. He looked tired and strained. Even his tinted glasses couldn't hide the dark circles that had been seeming to grow over the time that had passed since Shinji's defection. "But the DNA was tampered with. Someone had manufactured a clone of the Angel's core, rigging it to awaken upon receiving a certain signal or command."

It was not Gendo who responded, but Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki. "Has Section 2 been able to apprehend the one responsible for placing this fake Angel core within Unit-03?"

"That isn't really my field, but I haven't heard anything as of yet." She spared at glance at Gendo before saying, "But if Major Katsuragi was to be released…"

"The Major will remain in her cell," Gendo spoke, putting the papers down. Ritsuko noticed his exhausted tone, not to mention the slight smell of alcohol. "She will remain there till I have a use for her."

"It's obvious who's really behind the sabotage Gendo," Fuyutsuki spoke up, turning to his old student. "This was either a test or a warning." _However, I personally am betting on the later._ "We could use the Major's tactical assistance in this situation. Be prepared for what may come at us."

Gendo resumed his usual pose. He thought on his old teacher's words and found much truth behind it. Seele was itching to move forward with the scenario, but with a wild card like Third Child running freely, they could not rush it too much. This was a warning to get the job done of finding and dealing with the Third before they decide to step in and handle things themselves. Perhaps having the Major aiding in their preparations would help. Seele could strike at any time and currently they only had one "functional" Evangelion and that was Unit-03. "Major Katsuragi will remain in her cell for one more day and then released. Dismissed."

OOO

Toji stared down at Unit-03, his artificial hand resting against the protective glass of the observation room. Once released from the hospital, he was placed in another tube of LCL that Ritsuko had promised would help heal his wounds. It did the trick, but his arm and leg were now riddled with scars. The infections he was told of had to be cut off with a surgical laser tool he had not heard of before. Something NERV must have come up with, he guessed.

His expression was passive, but inside he almost wanted to scream. He glanced over to the technicians. Their purpose there, he was not too sure of. It did not matter though. He looked back down at Unit-03. His Eva. He frowned thinking on it. What actually made the Eva his to begin with. "Mother…" he whispered. He wanted to throw up. He did the first time Ritsuko had explained it to him what, who, had been in that strange field with him when he saw Shinji. "Talk about making a deal with the devil."

OOO

"_It was two years ago," Ritsuko said as she leaned back in her chair, staring at the window. "You remember what happened two years ago?"_

"_My mother died," Toji said. His voice was heavy with anger. He had his ideas as to what was going to be said, and a small part of him didn't want to hear it; didn't want to believe it, but he wanted to know what was happening with himself and the monster he piloted._

"_That is true. Your mother did die, but not before I paid her a visit." Toji stared at her from the corner of his eye. "For a pilot to effectively control the Evangelion there needs to a bridge. A link between the two."_

"_My mother…" Toji muttered silently but not enough for Ritsuko. She nodded. Toji's fists gripped at the bed sheets, trembling under the strain. "She's…inside that thing…"_

"_In a sense, yes. Part of her that connects with you is inside Evangelion Unit-03."_

_Toji faced Ritsuko. "Shinji?" She nodded. "Asuka?" Again, Ritsuko responded with a nod. "Even Rei?"_

_Ritsuko looked away for a second. "Rei is a special case, but somewhat similar."_

"_So what did you do to her? Take her away saying it was another test?" Toji remembered those constant tests his mother had to go through. Each one seemed to make her weaker and weaker, draining her life away until the end. "Were you the reason she died?"_

"_No. Not exactly. I offered her something that I new would benefit her and you in the future."_

"_And what was that?"_

"_Your safety."_

"_A lot of good that did," he said, raising his injured arm._

"_I explained that you, her son, had a large part that would play in the near future, and that she was needed in order for you to survive. She did not believe it at first until I showed her files on the Evangelion project. I gave her knowledge of the future Unit-03, that was already pre-destined to be your Evangelion, Toji."_

"_And what? Take her brain, or soul, or whatever and shoved into that thing?"_

"_In a sense. We moved her to NERV to perform the experiment. A similar event that happened with Asuka's mother. Though her body survived, most of her consciousness, perhaps her soul, was placed inside Unit-03. But unlike Asuka's mother, yours didn't commit suicide." Toji flinched at her words. His grip on the sheets loosened as he ran over the thought of the red-devil's mother doing herself in. He stared down at the sheets, seeing the pieces fall into place. "Her death was a heavy blow on Asuka, making her into the girl you know today."_

"_But my mother didn't kill herself. Instead, she… fell into a coma. Her vital just started to fall one day after another till…"_

"_She knew the risks. I explained what would happen. She had the choice not to take it…"_

"_But to protect me and my sister, and dad, she sac…" he bit his lip, fighting back the tears. "She sacrificed… herself."_

_Ritsuko rose to her feet. She watched Toji wrap himself in his arms, trembling. He had tried to hold it in, to keep playing the tough guy, but there was only so much he could take. Stepping to his bed, she sat on the edge, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I will understand if you hate me. I already hate myself a great deal for many reasons that would make you think of me as a monster."_

"_Go."_

_Ritsuko bit her lip. Her hand immediately jerked away when he spoke. Like it had burned her. She stared at him, hands in her lap. She stood and headed for the door. As she opened the door, she took a last glance at Toji, and then left. She was no more then five feet when she heard the familiar sound of vomiting and muffled cries come from his room…_

OOO

"Can't believe I cried like that. I can't…" He felt the tears coming again. He closed his eyes and breathed, fighting back images and feelings as best as he could to look like nothing was wrong. He leaned against the glass. His heart rate began to slow to normal and blinked away the small beads of tears that had managed to form. "Now is not the time." There were people here that needed protecting, and if he had to protect those who did not deserve it to save those who did then he would.

"Can I get you something?"

Toji looked over to see Maya leaning over to look him in the eye, clipboard held tightly to her chest. She was one of the people he was sure deserved to be protected. He could not see Maya being a monster like the commander or Rits… "No, I'm good. Just still a little weak." He looked back to Unit-03, again looking into its dormant eyes. He only looked away when he felt a hand rest on his back. "Miss Ibuki…"

"You've been here long enough to call me Maya, Toji." Her warm smile brightened his mood. How could he be so down when there was a pretty face staring at him with a smile like that? "Why Toji, you're blushing!"

He could now feel his cheeks getting warmer, and Toji snapped to attention, surprising Maya slightly. She stared out the window to the Eva. "So…um…Unit-03. What exactly are they doing to it….her! I mean…"

Maya giggled and stepped closer. "They are refitting Unit-03 with the prototype Evangelion F-Type armor."

"Prototype?"

Maya nodded. "Yep. One of Dr. Akagi's experiments to help aid the Evangelions. Originally, I was to fit Evangelion Unit-01, but we never got the chance to test it. Budget cuts and such."

"Wait, it's never been tested? And you're fitting it on my Eva?"

"Yea, sorry about that," Maya said sheepishly. "But the armor is supposed to increase the strengths and defenses of the Evangelion. The only real problem is that it drastically decreases the Eva's speed."

"But I'll be able to pound on anything I get my hands on." Toji liked the sound of that. "Will it take up too much power?"

"Not to worry there. The entire armor acts as a large back-up power supply, so if your power cable should be separated, you are given a larger amount of time for combat then the eleven minutes Unit-03 has. That is unless you use the Vault Launcher."

Toji blinked. "A what?"

"Something else we were designing for being able to stun and capture an angel. The Vault Launcher is an antiphase weapon with devastating power. Could easily harm an angel so long as its AT Field is down. Even if the AT Field were up, the energy released would cause the Angel to be stunned. The armor was designed shortly after the 14th Angel's attack. Dr. Akagi wanted to devise an armor that would keep Unit-01 under control and put the Evas on a new fighting level with highly powerful Angels like the 14th. The new shield, though not tested, should also protect from any mental attack like the one Asuka suffered from the 15th…um…" She just stared at Toji. The boy seemed to have stars in his eyes and looked to the window.

"You mean, I get that much power in that armor!"

"Um…Toji…it's still not tested."

_With that kind of power, I could take on anything that came our way,_ Toji thought. _And with Ma backing me up…_ "Hey Maya," he turned and looked to cute techy. "When can I start the tests?"

"Um…Toji. You do know the armor is being placed on Unit-03 for perhaps the purpose to capture Shinji, right?" Ritsuko never actually explained entirely what they were planning with the armor, just that it needed to be put on Unit-03 as soon as possible. However, with the refitting, and the tests that were needed to be done, it would take at least a few weeks. Her thoughts were shaken when Toji turned her way. In his eyes seemed to be a fire slowly growing. "Toji…."

"I doubt doc is getting this armor up and ready to face Shinji. Something big is coming our way…as stupid as this sounds, Kensuke and I have watched enough anime and played enough games to know when the big bad boss fight is coming. Doc knows it too."

It did sound somewhat silly, to compare a real life scenario with something like a cartoon. Still, "You really think so?" Maya did not want to think something that bad would be coming their way. Who would want to attack NERV?

"Yea, I do. So when do I start testing?"

"When ever you want, Toji."

Toji and Maya turned to the back of the observation room and found Ritsuko, cigarette in hand. "Doctor Akagi," Maya spoke. She watched the faux blonde walk towards them. Maya blinked and noticed that Ritsuko's hair was showing brown roots. _I never knew she dyed her hair!_

Ritsuko nodded to Maya and looked to Toji. Toji returned her gaze. "Even with everything you now know you still wish to fight?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation in his answer. He knew what she was going to ask anyway.

"Very good then. Get dressed and ready for the tests. And after that, you're hitting the gym."

Toji felt himself sag a little. "Say what? The gym?"

Ritsuko gave him a gentle thump to the forehead. "Were you not listening to Maya as she explained to you about the armor?"

"You were listening in on that?" Maya asked.

"Yes, I was. I had planned to see Toji and ask if he still wanted to continue piloting. Now that Maya got your juices flowing with all that talk about the Eva's new power," she ignored either of their blushes, "you need to get ready to handle that armor. Moreover, it will not be an easy task. You may not have much time before what I fear may come to pass." Toji nodded. "Good. Maya?"

"Yes ma'am!" she nearly shouted, still a dark pink in her cheeks. "I mean, yes ma'am?"

"Get the tests started. And I want the simulator set against other Evangelions, not just angels. And factor in the F-Type's weight into the program. I want him to get a feel of the armor." Maya clicked her heals with a loud "yes ma'am!" and was off to the testing plugs to get the programs ready. Ritsuko watched the techy as she disappeared from the observation room. Alone with Toji, Ritsuko turned to the boy to lock eyes with him once more. "So…" Toji looked away. He stepped away and headed for the exit. Ritsuko felt that familiar pain of rejection one would normally feel from a friend or love one. Nevertheless, she deserved it. She was part of his pain, and deserved the cold shoulder he was giving her now…

"Hey Doc."

Ritsuko looked back to Toji. "Yes?"

"I know…it must have been really hard for you to come and tell me the truth. But I'm glad I know, even though it is kinda weird thinking that my mother's soul is trapped in that thing." He looked to the floor, thinking on what his next words should be. He wasn't exactly good at this kind of thing. "What I guess I'm saying is thanks. For telling me the truth and for watching out for me." And with those words, he left to get ready.

Ritsuko was left speechless…

OOO

_Shinji didn't know why he had come back with her. He was still confused as to why she dragged him there, no word exchanged between either of them till they reached the shower rooms that he had used many times in the past to rid himself of that awful LCL. But her eyes and hair hypnotized him. Questions boiled within his mind that she could probably answer, but that familiar feeling of fear of this stranger came up in him and stopped the questions from being asked. All she did as they walked back to NERV was smile. No words exchanged, just a smile. He still remembered how warm her hand felt when she took his…_

_And he also remembered his shock when she revealed her access card to NERV, easily reading her designation as the Fifth Child. It chilled his heart. A new pilot. Why now of all times? It was logical when he thought on it though. Asuka was missing, Rei didn't have an Eva of her own, and Toji…he didn't want to think of his friend. It hurt too much to._

"_I shouldn't be here," he whispered. He originally was out looking for Asuka before this girl had found him. He had to find her…_

"_Something on your mind, Shinji?" He jumped out of his skin from the surprise of the Fifth Child. Her hair was slightly damp, but she was back in her school uniform. The girl giggled. "You are far too nervous, Shinji. You must relax." She took his hand and turned to leave. "Come. I want to talk with you." But when she stepped away, she was weighed down by Shinji. She turned and looked at him, his gaze turned to her hand. "Is there something wrong, Shinji?"_

"_Why are you doing this?" he asked. He shook slightly, hating himself for speaking with a hint of anger in his voice. I wasn't like him to get angry because someone wants to spend time with him. It was just…new to him. Unfamiliar._

"_Doing what?"_

"_This," he gestured, lifting her hand slightly. "And dragging me down here. I don't know you… but you seem to know who I am."_

_The girl turned and placed her other hand on Shinji's, causing him to blush. When he looked at her, she had that bright, calm and comforting smile on her face. "I've heard so many things about you, Shinji. Many great things." She stepped forward, closing the gap between them even more. "And I want to know more."_

"_But why?"_

"_Why wouldn't I?" Her smile never changed._

"_I hurt people…"_

"_You may think you do, but I know you don't."_

"_How do you know? I don't even know who you are."_

_Her hand still holding his, she moved it to her chest, causing the boy to turn crimson with embarrassment. She pressed their hands to her chest, and he felt the steady thump of her heart. "I am someone who wishes to be a friend to you, and I hope you will be a friend to me too."_

_Shinji couldn't say anything to that. He was too confused. This girl wanted to be his friend, but they hardly knew each other. Scratch that. She knew him, apparently, but he did not know her. "Who are you?"_

_With a bright smile, she released his hand and stepped away. With a slight bow, she said, "My name is Matoko Nagisa. Fifth Child and current designated pilot of Evangelion Unit-02."_

"_Unit-02?" Shinji gasped. She was here to replace Asuka. Did she know? Was that one of the reason's Asuka had disappeared? He had heard she was staying with Hikari and that one evening Hikari found Asuka missing. That was when he took off to search for her. "I've got to go." Hesitantly, he shifted his stance and moved to leave._

_When Shinji moved past Matoko, she grabbed his wrist but did not stop him. She moved with him, and that was what caused him to stop. "Where are we going?"_

We? _"I've got to find Asuka."_

"_The Second Child isn't missing. She's here."_

_Shinji stopped. He spun around to face her. She still smiled at him, like nothing was wrong. "What do you mean she's here?"_

"_Pilot Soryu was located yesterday and brought to NERV medical. She is currently in the ICU wing."_

Why wasn't I told! _"What happened to her?" he asked, his voice a little shaken. "Is she okay?"_

"_Section 02 agents found her in one of the abandoned homes, malnourished. She looked to have not eaten for days."_

"_Asuka… she starved herself?"_

_Matoko's smile changed slightly and she approached the boy. Her arm circled Shinji's, pulling him close to her. Shinji's cheeks burned once more, his mind briefly forgetting about the redhead. "We shall go and see her, Shinji."_

"_We?"_

"_Yes. I too wish to see her…"_

OOO

"Land!" Asuka shouted as she stepped down from the VTOL that brought her to the Russian NERV Branch. "Thank God that is over! Now I can get a shower." She climbed back to her feet, dusting off her knees before looking to Mana. She wouldn't admit it to the rookie, but the flight with her was almost nice. Talking with her made the flight go by much quicker

Mana had to agree with Asuka on the shower. The entire time they smelled of LCL, and a shower was needed desperately. "I can't believe they made us leave NERV HQ without letting us get a shower."

"Well, that's NERV for you. They practically give two shits about us pilots. Especially Commander Ikari. I can't stand him!" She looked at the arrangement of soldiers and NERV personal. "Hey, anyone here like to point to the showers! We need to get cleaned up!" There was no response. Asuka visibly began to fume and so started to stomp off towards the large building she assumed was HQ of this branch of NERV. Mana was quickly catching up behind her.

Before they got anywhere near the building, they were quickly stopped by gun-metal colored jeep that pulled out of no where. Two men climbed out, one being your basic grunt and the other wearing the standard NERV issued commander uniform. He was a tall man, and well built with a military buzz cut you'd see on a true soldier. Asuka thought his chin could probably crack stone. This man could probably break Commander Ikari in two if they were to ever meet.

The large intimidating man snapped a salute to the two pilots, who returned it. "Forgive our tardiness, Pilot Soryu," he spoke, heavy with a Russian accent. He looked to the other red-head and nodded in her direction. "You must be the new pilot, Mana Kirishima. I was informed by the main branch of your arrival." He turned and held his hand to the jeep. "Please, climb in. We will take you to our main head quarters so you may clean up. While on the way, I will explain the situation thus far."

"Fine, fine, fine," Asuka said, climbing in the back with Mana in tow. Two other soldiers dropped their carry on bags in the back. The grunt and Commander climbed in, the jeep turning to the building and moving towards it. Asuka looked to Mana, who was taking in the scene around them. Asuka decided she would start. "So what is the situation, Commander….?"

"Commander Gera. And it is simple. We lost contact with Unit-01 at least a day ago. We've sent teams out to search in the last known location it's AT Field had been set off, but we've found nothing but farm lands and mountains. We did find some foot prints belonging to Unit-01, but many are large and random. At one point it looked as if it had fallen, and crushed a few trees."

"Have you tried the mountain areas?" Mana asked, jumping into the conversation. She had spaced out for a second but when he had mentioned Unit-01 she turned back. "Perhaps it is hidden somewhere in there?"

Gera shook his head. "Negative. We sent in teams to check it out, they found nothing. And it doesn't help we had a very nasty storm that following day too. It washed away any of the evidence that could have lead us to Unit-01's location." He leaned back, looking to Asuka, who simply stared out the side. "Do you perhaps have any idea why he is running this way, far from his home country?"

Asuka looked away. "Sorry, I don't. I'm just as much in the dark as you are, sir. We're here just to bring him in." She took notice of the large transports that Unit-02 and Unit-04 were laid on. The two were slowly moving down a set track into what she guessed was an underground hanger where they would be stored till needed. "I didn't know you had a cage system here for the Evas."

Gera nodded. "Yes. We were originally tasked with constructing Unit-06, but it was scrapped. I just hope we have room for your two. That other unit that showed up before you did took up at least two cages."

Asuka gave a nod and again looked back out towards the transports. The Evas were already down below the surface. Mana stared down at her hands, fumbling with her thumbs as she processed the information. But after a few seconds of registering what the commander had said, the two foreign pilots looked to one another and then to the commander with matching looks of shock. "Other unit?" both asked in unison.

Gera looked back with an arched brow. "Yes? Weren't you informed? You were getting the aid of a third unit that shipped ahead of yours once it became known by the UN that Unit-01 had been located. Came from the Britain branch just a few days ago. I must admit, it's a very odd unit at that."

"We weren't informed of it," Mana admitted. "We had assumed it would be me and Asuka that would deal with the Third Child." She bit back when Asuka gave her a glare from the corner of her eye. She thought on her words and felt bad for using the words 'deal with' when mentioning Shinji. It wasn't like she was enjoying the idea of hunting their fellow pilot down. But what could she do? Orders were orders.

The jeep slowed down to a stop at the gate entrance. The guard on duty approached, looking to the driver's ID then to the commander. Nodding that they were clear to go, he opened the gate for them to pass. The jeep pulled away and turned down into the lower levels of the base, parking into what looked to be a car elevator similar to the ones back at the main branch. It jerked once before moving. Gera turned and looked back at the two young pilots. "I'm sorry to hear that. We assumed you were informed. The pilot has been waiting for your arrival and has been in and out of her unit for tests since she arrived. I must say, she's far too excited about this for my liking."

"You said she?" Mana asked, edging forward in her seat.

Asuka picked it up too and watched the commander. She hadn't heard anything of another unit or pilot. Misato would have said something to them before leaving. She began to wonder if even the commander had known. If not, did that mean that maybe units and pilots outside Japan existed, but were just kept as guarded secretes? And if so, for what purpose? As backups should something happen to the ones fighting the Angels, or in case someone decides to turn on them with their own Eva? That thought ran a chill down her spine. The thought of countries sending Evas out to do their battles.

"Yes. A young girl the same age as you two. Odd name she has. A Captain Mari Illustrious Makinami."

"Captain!" Asuka shouted. "How does she have a rank!"

Gera leaned away from the angry red pilot and shrugged. "I didn't know she was special. I assumed you all held a rank. I myself have not dealt with any pilots here. Not since the accident that happened a few years ago."

Asuka shrank back in her seat slowly, eying the Commander. "What happened?"

Gera sighed, and turned back around. He looked up at the moving ceiling, seeing it now that the elevator was out of the tunnel and into the open cage area. "It was probably two years ago. We were getting closer to completing Unit-06 for NERV's use against the Angel threat. We even had a pilot picked out for the tests." He paused, looking over to the cages. Units 02 and 04 were being hoisted up into a standing position, quickly being locked in place. "But there was a problem. No one knows what happened. In the end we lost two of our best scientists who were part of the project and the pilot lost her eye sight in the accident." He glanced back at the two pilots, seeing the shock settling in slowly. Mana looked away, biting her lip. Asuka continued to stare, silently asking for more of the tale.

The elevator came to a stop. The jeep pulled away and over to a waiting spot to the side of the cages. They climbed out and Gera lead the two pilots away and on towards the locker rooms. The girls grabbed their bags and ran to catch up. "The girl," he continued, "was released from us and into the care of her grandmother and older brother. They live outside the city in the countryside. Our branch here has been giving them casualty pay for both the deaths of her parents and the loss of her eye sight."

Asuka stopped following. "Her…parents?"

Gera stopped and looked back as did Mana. "Yes. Her parents were head of the research team that was performing the tests. They were the only two deaths in the whole accident. Others were severally injured, but managed to survive." He stopped at an opening in the wall, clearly showing a shower sign. "Here's the locker room and showers. Don't worry about cameras. You can get cleaned up in here. I'll have a guard escort you two and the other pilot to the briefing room once you're done so we can get started."

Mana and Asuka watched the commander give a salute and walk away. Once he was from earshot, Mana looked to Asuka. "So you didn't know any of this?"

Asuka shook her head. "None. You were the only pilot I had heard about. And another Eva?"

"I agree." Mana sat her bag down on the ground. "I don't like this. I've only been working with you guys for a few days now, and already I feel like I'm being pulled into something I won't be able to get out of."

"Welcome to NERV," Asuka said, crossing her arms.

Sniff, sniff! Both girls turned to a girl with long brown hair, wrapped in a towel leaning out of the locker room, steam covered glasses covering her eyes. Her cheeks were lined with cute little freckles that stood out against her slightly pale complexion. Even a few were spotted on her shoulders. She leaned closer, smelling Asuka and Mana with the two girls stepping back, slightly disgusted by the girl's act. With a smile, the stranger stepped back with her hands on her hips and a broad smile on her face. "You two smell good…" she licked her lips. "…good of LCL!"

Asuka winched. "Disgusting."

Mana shuddered slightly. "Gross."

The girl held her hand out. "You two are most definitely the pilots that I've come to help, right? My name is Mari Illustrious Makinami! Seventh Child!"

Both Mana and Asuka looked hesitantly at the girl, before either shook her hand.

"Second Child, Asuka Langley Soryu."

"Sixth Child, Mana Kirishima."

She paused, seeming to be lost in thought. Removing her glasses, the pair got a glimpse of her blue eyes. Using the towel to clear the steam off, Mari looked at the two with clear vision and seemed to beam at Asuka. "Wow, you're Asuka! This is so awesome! You've been at the front lines of the battle this whole time! I'm so jealous!"

That familiar pride of Asuka's seemed to spike up. She smiled confidently at Mari, fists to her hips as she looked at the new pilot. "It's nothing really. With my obvious superiority, the Angels never stood a chance." She never saw the bored look in Mana's expression.

"And you!" Mari said turning to Mana. There was a brief pause. "Well, I don't really know you. I had thought they would have sent the First child."

Mana's eye twitched but she kept herself calm. "I'm new as well. I recently got assigned to the main branch to aid in any future Angel attacks. But it looks to me we'll be hunting one of our own."

"Yep!" Mari cried. The look on her face seemed to almost disturb the two. Gera was right, she was a little too excited to take part in this mission. "We get to hunt the infamous Shinji Ikari and his Unit-01. It's going to be so awesome, and I get to use my Unit-05 in it's first combat situation."

"Yea, about that…" Mana started.

"Not yet!" Mari said, waving a finger at the red head rookie. "I want to wait till later to surprise you with my unit. We need to get prepped for battle!" Asuka and Mana watched Mari turn and duck back into the shower/locker room. Neither of them realized that a good portion of the staff that was near by had watched the whole scene unfold.

"She's annoying."

"I don't like her."

The two hesitantly collected their bags and moved into the locker room to get cleaned, hoping Mari would try to keep to herself. The brunett was gone and in the shower with her towel hanging from a hook on the outside. She was humming a song neither of the two girls could make out. Asuka and Mana chose lockers across from one another, and slowly began to remove the stick and smelly plug suits. Asuka cringed at the sticky feel while Mana did what she could do to not throw up. The smell had been bad on the outside, but the smell on the inside was far worse.

The two girls were not modest and just disrobed, tossing the ruined plug suits into a recycle been to be dealt with later. Fresh suits were hung in their lockers and the two hurriedly went to the showers. Mana took a small peak at Asuka, then looked down at her chest. She frowned, noticing a slight shape difference between her and the German red-head.

"Hey Asuka!" Mari shouted from her stall.

Asuka's head had just hung in the warm water, wanting to ignore the strange new pilot but decided to humor her and answer. "Yea?"

"So what do you think will happen when we catch the Third?"

Mana was curious herself. She paused in her intense de-LCL-ing to listen in to what Asuka had planned.

"Well first is I'm going to put my foot up his ass!" Asuka said, wanting to kick the wall thinking of the boy but decided not to. "Then drag him home. There, I'll probably kick him some more for running off."

"But Asuka, no one ever really told us why he ran off," Mana said. She knew it was odd to go supporting the Third after his defection but even she had to admit that was too many holes to over look. "We just know he did, and looking at his records, he doesn't seem like the type to just up steal an Eva."

"Hmm, I have to agree Mana," Mar chipped in. "I've read his profile too. This doesn't seem to fit his personality. Going crazy and attacking NERV seems more right to me."

Asuka stared down at the drain in her stall. "He did that once." Mana again paused and stared at the wall in Asuka's direction. Mari was doing the same. "It was after the 13th Angel battle. In the end, Shinji refused to eject the plug. Unit-01 had ignored all their attempts to eject the plug, and Shinji threatened to tear NERV apart if his father didn't show himself." Asuka leaned against the wall, her arms wrapping around herself. "He only had one minute of power, but it would have been more then enough for him to tear apart a good portion of that place."

"Wow," Mana whispered. She hadn't read to that point. There was so many details and information she had to take in, that she hadn't gotten to the battle of the 13th.

"Well that's dumb," Mari said. "Why'd he do that?"

"Cause, dummbkopf, his best friend was inside the Angel!" Asuka snapped. "You read his file, so you should know that the 13th Angel was once Evangelion Unit-03."

Mari bit her lip, shrinking away from the angry girl, though she was on the other side of the wall. "Sorry. I must have missed that part."

Asuka clamed down and went back cleansing herself of the LCL. "I guess after that things just went down hill for Shinji. Despite my own problems, I could tell things were just getting worse for him. A lot of which I don't know about. I know he grew really distant from the First Child for some reason, while before he used to have a hard time keeping his eyes off her. Pervert." That last part meant to be a whisper, but it seemed to slip out a little louder then she would have liked.

Mari smiled evilly. "Pervert huh?"

Asuka paused at washing her hair to turn and look at Mari through the wall. "What?"

"It's just the way you said. Almost like you wanted his perverted eyes to look at you then the First Child."

"Sh…shut up!" Asuka snapped, getting suds in her eyes. "I do not, and never will want that perverts eyes on me!"

Mana with held her giggle, and decided to jump in on the fun to lighten the mood. "I don't know, Asuka. I have to agree that you did sound a little jealous."

"Did not! You know what, forget it. This discussion ends now!" She turned away, as if they could see her turn her nose up and away from them.

It fell silent in the shower room, with nothing but the sounds of running water hitting tile floor. But Mari wasn't quite done yet. "So is this Shinji guy seeing anyone?"

A good portion of the cage area could hear Asuka's frustrated scream.

OOO

Showers done and over with, the pilots again in their plug suits, were escorted to the commander's office to be briefed on the situation and what their plan of attack would be. Asuka was in her usual red plug suit, Mana in her dark blue, but Mari's was the oddest. Her suit seemed padded in green and grey colors with ports in the arms and legs that neither Asuka nor Mana could figure out the use for. Asuka quickly assumed it involved her Evangelion, and was even more curious about this new Eva she hadn't seen yet.

Their two escorts stopped at a pair of double doors, opening them for the three to enter. As Asuka approached though, she was topped. She looked to the guard in question. "Sorry. We've been asked to escort you to another room. We have a guest who wishes to speak with you."

Confused, Asuka did the only thing she could do and nodded. She took a last glimpse at Mari and Mana before following the soldier. "So who is I'm meeting with?"

"Don't know, um…ma'am?" The guard was a little confused as to how to address the girl, considering she was much younger, though in a higher position then he was. "I was just told to lead you to the meeting room."

And the trip was short lived. They just had moved around the next corner and stopped at a single door. Asuka looked to the soldier, who nodded and stood at the side. Asuka, with nerves of steel, turned the knob and entered. When the door closed behind her, Asuka's nerves went from steel to butter. Sitting in a chair at a large meeting table was an older man and woman, whom which Asuka was very familiar with. They stood up, smiles on their faces as they noticed the red-head had entered the room. To Asuka's added shock, the woman was obviously sporting a maternal belly; at least a few months old. The older man approached, embracing Asuka in a tight hug. Asuka's eyes though were on the older woman, who smiled warmly at them then down at her protruding belly which she stroked tenably.

"It's so good to see you, Asuka," the man whispered, a small tear threatening to run down his cheek.

"Papa?"

To Be Continued

ZeroAcception: Ha! You all thought I was dead, I bet. No. Just been trying to get things together. Took a break for other things and the next thing I know, years had gone by since I had last updated this thing. But I at least plan to finish this one up. The others, I scrapped. Still. The pairing is up in the air. And I hope to get started on the next chapter soon. And I'll give you a hint. More info on what happened to Shinji will be revealed, and a bit of Gendo as well. He actually will have a role involving Nagisa, and Yui as well.

So stay tuned. And who knows, there may be some fan service…man that was lame.


End file.
